An analysis of the South African social assistance system as it applies to children in rural communities: A perspective from the Grootboom case

Abstract

The pre-democratic laws regulating social security benefits favoured white children. When the democratic government came into power in 1994 it was concerned about the racial disparities evident in the distribution of social security benefits and the large-scale nature of poverty, particularly amongst black children. The government’s response was to entrench social security and social assistance provisions in the Constitution.