COVID-19, social protection, and the labour market in South Africa: Are social grants being targeted at the most vulnerable?

“Since democratization, social assistance in particular has expanded significantly with nearly 18 million recipients (or nearly one in every three South Africans) as of 2019/20 at a cost of 3.4% of GDP (South African Social Assistance Agency, 2020). However, little progress has been made with respect to social insurance (Woolard et al., 2011).”