REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA COMBINED SECOND PERIODIC REPORT UNDER THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE`S RIGHTS
and INITIAL REPORT UNDER THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA
445.
South Africa has also taken positive measures to ensure that economic and social needs
of persons with disabilities are guaranteed. Free health care for persons with disabilities
has been implemented since 1 July 2003. Moreover, persons with disabilities are entitled
to a disability grant in terms of the Social Assistance Act, 2004.232
446.
The number of persons with disabilities receiving the disability grant has increased as
shown in Table 16 below.
Table 16: Growth in the number of persons with disabilities receiving social grants
Year
No persons with disabilities who received the disability
grant
2002/03
840 424
2003/04
1 228 231
2004/05
1 293 280
2005/06
1 315 143
2006/07
1 422 808
2007/08
1 408 456
2008/09
1 286 883
2009/10
1 264 477
2010/11
1 200 898
2011/12
1 198 131
2012/13
1 164 192
Housing
447.
232
233
Section 26 of the Constitution provides that everyone has the right to have access to
adequate housing and that the state must take reasonable legislative and other
measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of this
right.233 As Table 17 below shows, between 2002 and 2013, the percentage of households
that lived in formal dwellings and whose dwellings were fully owned increased from
Act No. 13 of 2004
S 26 (1) Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing.
(2) The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources,
achieve the progressive realisation of this right.
(3) No one may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without an order of court
made after considering all the relevant circumstances. No legislation may permit arbitrary evictions.
122