Marie is taking care of her granddaughter while her son is working in another town. He sends his mother an amount of R1000 every month for the care of his daughter. Marie cannot manage with this money so she goes to SASSA to apply for a CSG grant. The SASSA official refuses to take the application as Marie is already being paid to care for the child.

The SASSA official is wrong. The grandmother is the primary care-giver and if she qualifies in terms of the means test she should be able to access the CSG. As Marie receives R1000, which is under the maximum allowed in terms of the means test, she will still qualify for the CSG.