Minimal increase in old age grant won't cover basic care needs of SA's elderly, says Tafta

The Association for the Aged (Tafta) warned on Thursday that the R95 increase in the old age grant will fail to meet basic care needs of the elderly.

This comes after finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced a 5% increase for the grant in his budget speech on Wednesday.

Tafta CEO Femada Shamam said: “Despite the R95 increase, we are bracing ourselves for continued demand on our services. The reality is an increasing number of older people are in need of care, protection and support.”

Tafta operates care facilities for the aged in KwaZulu-Natal.

Shamam was speaking at a gathering of sector experts in Johannesburg, where the national department of social development is in discussions to develop a national strategy on ageing, aimed at improving the quality of life of the aged.

“We hope that in coming together in this forum, we will find a way forward to enable older people to live a life of meaning and purpose,” Shamam said.

The consultation is set to conclude this week, with stakeholder inputs on the national strategy as well an implementation plan for the Decade of Healthy Ageing.

The Older Persons Amendment Bill is due to be gazetted for public comment and implementation, a move Shamam sees as hopeful for the future of ageing generations.

“Tafta has been involved in the aged care sector for over 63 years, and deals with the impact of these minimal increases. Older people are finding it increasingly impossible to meet even their most basic needs like healthcare and food costs.

“If SA cannot care for this population group now, how will we address the challenge of our growing ageing population — which is expected to reach around two thirds of the global population by 2050?

“Currently, Tafta has to meet a 64% shortfall in care costs for elders in its care, even after an elder’s pension contribution and the government subsidy for care services. This operational shortfall amounts to approximately R26m due to a difficult fundraising environment and Covid-19 care costs the organisation has experienced in recent years, like others in the sector.”

Shamam warned that without policy changes and support mechanisms that address the needs of population ageing, SA would see a continued increase in elderly people living below the poverty line.

FULL ADDRESS | Finance minister Enoch Godongwana delivers budget speech

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