The South African government is providing the elderly with a means-tested
non-contributory old age pension, which was intended to be a poverty relief
programme for the aged. However, it has turned into a poverty alleviation programme
within the households, targeting older people but also benefiting the younger
generation. The migration and death caused by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the middle
generation has decreased the family income, giving the old age pension a much more
prominent role. The social old age pension makes elderly persons economically
independent, allowing them to become valuable members of the family, so it is
therefore providing vital support for older people and their adult children and
grandchildren. Nevertheless, it has not proved to be enough to alleviate poverty in
households affected by HIV/AIDS. A better solution for reducing poverty amongst
households affected by HIV/AIDS should be explored. However, new measures
should not be taken at the expense of the Old Age Grant, as this social programme is
at present the most effective means of targeting and reaching economically vulnerable
groups.