Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has promised to significantly increase the SASSA old-age grant if his party comes to power, saying pensioners deserve greater financial support.
Malema made the commitment while addressing EFF supporters during the party’s provincial manifesto launch in North West on Saturday. His announcement comes as political parties prepare for the upcoming local government elections, scheduled for 4 November, with issues such as unemployment, social grants and the rising cost of living expected to feature prominently in political campaigns.
According to Malema, an EFF-led government would not take social grants away from beneficiaries. Instead, he said the party would increase the amount received by older South Africans.
“You paid taxes while you were working, that is your money,” Malema said, arguing that pensioners had contributed to the country throughout their working lives.
He went further by promising that the old-age grant would start at R4,500 per month under an EFF government. The proposed amount would represent a substantial increase from the current grant.
The old-age grant currently stands at R2,400 per month following an increase announced in the 2026 Budget. Beneficiaries who are older than 75 receive R2,420 per month.
Malema also criticised the current Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which remains at R370 per month. He argued that the amount is not enough to meet the needs of unemployed South Africans and called for additional assistance for unemployed graduates.
The government has allocated funding for the SRD grant to continue until 31 March 2027.
### Malema Says Pensioners Deserve Better
The EFF leader repeated his R4,500 proposal while speaking in Mpumalanga on the same day. He highlighted the important role pensioners play in supporting their families, saying many older people use their grants to help provide for children and other relatives.
Malema said improving financial support for older people would therefore benefit entire families, particularly households that depend heavily on social grants.
He also maintained that the government could afford to increase social grants if public funds were managed properly. His comments reflect the EFF’s longstanding position that social protection should be expanded and that more money should be directed towards vulnerable South Africans.
The promise is likely to attract attention from millions of social grant beneficiaries, particularly pensioners who continue to face rising living costs.
The EFF has previously campaigned on increasing social grants. In its 2019 manifesto, the party proposed raising the old-age grant from R1,700 to R3,400 per month.
With the local government elections approaching, Malema’s latest pledge places social grants firmly among the issues the EFF is using to appeal to voters. Whether the proposed R4,500 grant can be implemented would ultimately depend on the party securing political power and finding the necessary funding within the national budget.
For now, the announcement adds another major promise to the growing political debate over how South Africa should address poverty, unemployment and the financial pressures facing vulnerable households.
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