‘That Child Support Grant Gives Me Powers’ – Exploring Social and Relational Aspects of Cash Transfers in South Africa in Times of Livelihood Change

Abstract

This article builds on existing literature on the material effects of cash transfers. It explores people's own perceptions of the role of unconditional cash transfers in building, maintaining, and transforming social relations in a small village in rural South Africa. Much of the literature studying the impacts of cash transfers in the global South relies on quantitative measures. Thus, there is a paucity of micro-level qualitative research on beneficiaries' own perspectives on the social impacts of cash transfers. To this end, we explored whether the Child Support Grant, a small cash transfer given to impoverished caregivers of children, changed individual and intra-household relationships, as well as community solidarity in this village. We argue that South Africa's cash transfers have largely had positive social transformative effects on individuals, in relation to a sense of dignity, autonomy and increased decision-making powers for primary caregivers, usually mothers or grandmothers. Positive effects were also perceived in relation to these households and communities, although some contested effects and limitations were also found. These findings are of interest in the ongoing broader debates around the effects of cash transfers globally as well as regionally in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Changing Livelihoods in Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa (2002–2016): Diminishing Employment and Expanding Social Protection

“…Analysis of the household survey showed significantly fewer respondents reporting worries about food insecurity (compared to 2002), and the qualitative analysis points to improved social and relational aspects such as increased sense of dignity and positive effects on gender relations (such as women's autonomy, bargaining and decision-making power). 58 As grant recipient women are often resource providers, South Africa is experiencing 'reversed dependencies' in many households. 59 Regular grant income enables recipients to take on greater responsibility for others, and people may cluster around grant recipients as a response to vulnerability.…”

Giving Everyone a Fish: COVID-19 and the New Politics of Distribution

“…The COVID-19 grant is also the first grant to target unemployed, working-age men, and thus holds the potential to address gendered conflicts over the spending of child grants. There is also a growing body of evidence that transfers can have an impact on gender relations and women's empowerment (Granlund and Hochfeld 2020;Patel, Knijn and Van Wel 2015).…”

COVID-19 and resilience through Integral Mission: The impact of Social Enablement as Mission in previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa during the COVID-19 disaster

“…The National lockdown has worked well in prolonging the upward spiral of the pandemic, but at the same time it has created even greater and probably longer-lasting challenges that will have a negative impact long after lockdown has ended (Morifi 2020), and now the fast upward spiral of the pandemic curve seems to have arrived (Mkize et al 2020). On top of the pandemic, economic, climate change, corruption, dependency on hand-outs issues (Granlund & Hochfeld 2020:1230-1244) and broken prosperity-gospel promises (Mbewe 2013), poor people are left feeling helpless (Corbett & Fikkert 2014a: Session 1).…”

“…Their focus is on maintaining the assurance of receiving these grants; so, they focus on an animistic, syncretistic, prosperity gospel or secular belief systems that hope in receiving relief from someone, something, a kind of deity, or a magical genie kind of god (Awendila 2020). For this reason, they often feel helpless because of their poverty (Corbett & Fikkert 2012;Johnson 2012;Reese 2012;Schwartz 2007), especially during a crisis (Granlund & Hochfeld 2020:1230-1244). • A distorted understanding of God: John Calvin upheld that sensus divinitatis [sense of divinity] exists with all mankind (Helm 1998:87-107).…”