News24 | OPINION | The hard graft of South Africa’s grandparents, and the abuse we cannot ignore

Close to eight million South African children live in households headed by grandparents. The Older Person’s Grant that sustains these families is stretched to breaking point — and the same grant can make its recipient vulnerable to financial exploitation, writes Ishrene Davids.

By the time Mama N’s monthly Older Person’s Grant lands in her account, every rand already has a job.

The R2 400 must cover groceries, electricity, taxi fares, school stationery, school fees and her medication, if there is enough left.

Mama N is a composite portrait drawn from the experiences of older women supported by Ikamva Labantu, a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation.

She is the primary caregiver of four grandchildren, and the grant designed to support one older person is the most dependable income in the multigenerational household she holds together.

Although her formal employment ended years ago, Mama N’s work continues: raising her grandchildren, getting them ready for school, accompanying the youngest to their early learning centre, making sure everyone returns home safely, cooking dinner and finding the energy to help with homework. She works every day to give her grandchildren a stable foundation from which they can build a future.

Her labour has changed form. It has not stopped.

Raising grandchildren

Mama N is not alone. Statistics South Africa reported that in 2023, close to eight million children – 38% of the country’s child population – lived in households headed by grandparents. Older people are woven deeply into the daily work of raising South Africa’s children and sustaining its families.

Yet the responsibility placed on grandparents can also expose them to harm.

An independent study in 2024 documented financial, emotional and physical abuse, as well as neglect, among older people living in Cape Town’s townships. Financial abuse emerged as a particular concern, with children and grandchildren frequently identified as perpetrators.

An older person’s grant card may be taken from her. Her PIN (personal identification number) may be controlled by someone else. She may be pressured into handing over money or prevented from deciding how her own income is used. The same grant that keeps a household functioning can make the person receiving it vulnerable to exploitation.

We must approach this reality with care. Most families are not abusive, and grandparents care for children for many different reasons. These include parental migration and loss, unemployment, substance dependence and fractured family relationships.

The spatial and social legacy of apartheid continues to shape family life. Township communities were placed far from centres of employment, forcing parents to leave home before dawn or move to different cities. A grandparent’s presence is often what makes that working day possible. It also offers children continuity and security during periods of instability.

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Older people are frequently spoken about only as recipients of care and, while the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006 recognises them as rights holders and contributing members of society, there is a gap in recognising and supporting the enormous contribution they are making to supporting families. A grandparent’s care is an invisible subsidy to the households and the wider economy.

A family’s centre of gravity can weaken when an older caregiver’s health or safety is compromised. If someone like Mama N becomes ill, isolated or afraid in her own home, the consequences move outwards: children lose daily care, working adults face new pressures, and an already stretched household becomes more precarious.

Important line against abuse

This is why services for older people are not only care services. They are family infrastructure and an important line of defence against abuse.

A home-based care programme in Cape Town’s townships supports over 300 frail and homebound older people. Trained local community members, called Umelwane or “neighbourhood friend”, provide regular human contact and basic health and social support, with referrals to nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers, as well as to clinics, police and other public services. It is the only such service in the Western Cape.

These regular visits matter. Isolation can allow abuse and neglect to remain hidden. An Umelwane may notice that an older person no longer controls her grant card, appears frightened, is losing weight or is not receiving the medication she needs. The programme also helps identify and train a caregiver within the family or neighbourhood, strengthening the circle of support around the older person. The grant is limited, R580 per month, but it is a shared value that brings resources into the community and goes towards something of a stipend for someone who may otherwise be unemployed.

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For elders who are mobile, senior clubs offer meals, health screenings, medication support, exercise, friendship and information about their rights. The clubs are places of enjoyment and belonging, but they also serve a safeguarding function. Friends notice when someone does not arrive. Club coordinators recognise changes in behaviour or appearance. Concerns can be followed up on, and an older person has time to build trust with someone who can help her seek support safely.

South Africa needs to recognise that more senior clubs, home-based care, and trained caregiver support are essential infrastructure, particularly in under-resourced communities where transport and essential services are difficult to access.

Mama N’s grant and labour do not support only one person. In the same way, the services that support her also help her hold an entire family together. We cannot leave our elders to carry their responsibilities alone.

- Ishrene Davids is the director of Ikamva Labantu.

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