The pattern of expenditure of social pension income of older blacks in rural and urban areas of the Free State, South Africa

Abstract

A lack of empirical data on the pattern of expenditure of social pension income by black South African beneficiaries prompted an investigation reported in this paper. It was found that although pension sharing is common in multi-generational households, it is not the norm among black pensioners who live alone. Food is the largest single expenditure item, while a relatively small amount of pension money is spent on children and/or grandchildren. Nor does much pension money find its way into the hands of cash loan agents. Little difference was found between the spending patterns of pensioners in rural areas and those in an urban area. It was moreover found that pensioners are less frequently robbed of their pension money than is alleged.