Strategies to deal with child poverty in Africa: A case study of South Africa’s cash transfer policy

Abstract

Africa, just like its counterparts in the global South finds itself wanting to support its child development programmes due to poverty. It is a continent ravished by many socio-economic and political factors that impedes the healthy growth of its children. In order for Africa to advance itself, investment in its vulnerable children can help secure the next generation of active and participating citizens. One way to achieve this is through cash transfers which is lauded to alleviate child poverty. South Africa has followed suite to the cash transfer paradigm in its attempt to alleviate poverty amongst millions of its children which takes up a significant share of the national budget. Although South Africa has been generous in providing cash transfers for child care, its efficacy has been both positive and negative. The exact extent of its effects is a grey area. Notwithstanding, the study aims at analysing how child support grants has fared since its implementation and whether mechanisms can be put in place for child and youth care workers to support governments attempt at alleviating child poverty through cash transfers. A total of 45 articles were reviewed of which 13 were in the international domain, 17 in the African continent and the remaining 15 in the South African context. The articles contained policy reports, legislations, statistical reports, minutes of parliamentary meetings and reports, which provided a backdrop to the study. The review covered the contemporary period dating 2015 to 2021. Of these articles, 16 were identified for its relevance, context and conceptual framework in understanding cash transfers and its potential to ameliorate child poverty. Themes derived from these sources of information focussed on the global, continental and South African state of child poverty, the nature of child and multi-dimensional poverty, attempts made in the continent and South Africa to arrest child poverty through cash transfers and the need to look at other social and child care resources that are necessary to supplement child poverty
programmes through cash transfers.