Use of the child support grant in households in Mahumani Tribal Authority, Giyani

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study on the use of the Child Support Grant in households in Mahumani Tribal Authority (MTA) was conducted in six villages in the Limpopo Province’s Greater Giyani Municipality, under the traditional leader and tribal authority of Mahumani. It is made up of a group of communities with the highest levels of poverty when compared to other wards in the Greater Giyani Municipality. It has high unemployment, very limited economic opportunities and the highest number of people recorded as receiving Child Support Grants. With little knowledge about how these communities survive and what the CSG is used for, the study sought to understand how the CSG is being used within households, how decisions are arrived at about its use and whether the grant is used exclusively to meet the needs of children. The study applied qualitative methods of research design and data collection by visiting twenty primary caregivers in their households. Face to face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants who are recipients of the grant. Based on data collected, this research has identified that the grant was reported as being used for food, school uniforms, and funeral policies, to generate further income and for other services necessary for child wellbeing. The findings further revealed that the funds received by the grant beneficiaries are used to support many more individuals than the actual grant recipient. From the study, the money does not take care of the beneficiaries only but the family as a whole. The study highlight various implications for those interested in the use of CSGs. The study concluded that the CSG was used directly to reduce poverty and vulnerability within households, that it directly improves the living standards of the poor and reduces poverty.