The South African Constitution enshrines the right to social security. Consequently, the government identified a three-pillar approach to the provision of social security: the non-contributory (tax-financed), the contributory and the private voluntary pillars. The non-contributory schemes include social assistance programmes.

There have been many accomplishments in social security since the transition to democracy in 1994. Most notably are: the creation of important safeguards protecting the constitutional right to social security and social assistance for all people in need; the establishment of a dedicated agency, the South African Social Security Agency, to ensure uniform access to social assistance benefits for all qualifying residents; the expansion of benefits to children and elderly people; and the extension of unemployment insurance to domestic workers and seasonal farm workers.

Social assistance benefits played and continue to play a significant role cushioning the effects of harsh living conditions for the most vulnerable households, particularly when there is an insufficient absorptive capacity of the labour market. By implementing the main components of a Social Protection Floor (SPF), South Africa has made notable progress reducing extreme poverty over the last 15 years.

This overview is extracted from the               Global Extension of Social Security platform (GESS) and provided courtesy of the ILO Social Security Department.