Young mothers locked out of child grant
Mothers under the age of 20 who have been approved for Botswana’s Child Support Grant are reportedly struggling to access their money after the Post Office system rejected their applications because of their age.
The problem has left some young mothers frustrated, with beneficiaries saying they had received confirmation from the Ministry that they had been approved, only to be turned away when they tried to collect their money at the post office. Kanye councillor, Kabo Magogodi said the problem appears to be with the Post Office system, rather than the approval of the beneficiaries by the relevant authorities.
“The Post Office system is the one rejecting them, while the Ministry and Mma-boipelego offices have approved that they should be paid,” Magogodi said. He said in one Post Office, the manager advised some affected young mothers to consider registering their children under their grandparents because the grant belongs to the child and not the mother. “The manager promised that they are working on their system so that it can accept the young mothers, he also encouraged them to register through their grandparents because the money belongs to the child, not the mother,” Magogodi said.
Magogodi revealed that he had personally come across a case involving a 20-year-old mother from his ward whose application was rejected by the system despite receiving a message from the Ministry informing her that she had been approved and should collect her money. Magogodi said the same problem had reportedly affected three beneficiaries in his ward. The difficulties are not limited to young mothers.
Another concerned mother yet to benefit from the grant, said delays in capturing names and issuing payment codes were leaving mothers uncertain about when they would receive their money. She registered at the beginning of July and was initially told that registration could be done using a child's clinic card, together with an affidavit confirming residence.
However, beneficiaries were later required to submit additional documents, including a copy of the child’s birth certificate, proof of unemployment and a copy of the mother’s identity document. The beneficiary said the process had become frustrating, particularly for families depending on the grant.
“This process of the grant is really difficult,” she said. She added that she had checked a new list of beneficiaries released the previous week and found that some names were already appearing, but payments had not yet reached the post offices. “I was at Mafikana Post Office. We are now waiting for after the holidays,” she said. The concerns come as Kanye District Council Chairman, Morapedi Kgosithebe recently reported progress in the implementation of the Child Support Grant Programme. According to Kgosithebe, a total of 523 beneficiaries had registered for the programme in the district since its inception, with payments starting from April 2026 through Botswana Post. He said 394 beneficiaries had received their grants, including back payments, while the council continued working with the Department of Social Development to facilitate payments to beneficiaries still awaiting their money.