Money Desk
School holidays add food costs for South African families
South African families face increased financial strain during the December school holidays as the National School Nutrition Programme pauses for the break.
Public-school pupils in South Africa will finish the school year on 9 December 2026 and return to school on 13 January 2027.
Scale of Nutrition Support
The Department of Basic Education’s National School Nutrition Programme feeds approximately 9.4 million learners across 20,000 schools.
Cost of Child Nutrition
A basic nutritious diet for a child cost an average of R975.66 a month in October 2026, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s index. That was R395.66 more than South Africa’s current child support grant of R580 per month.
Costs differ by age, with each monthly food benchmark exceeding the grant:
| Child category | Monthly food benchmark | Gap above R580 grant |
|---|---|---|
| Average basic nutritious diet | R975.66 | R395.66 |
| Children aged three to nine | R863.33 | R283.33 |
| Children aged 10 to 13 | R937.24 | R357.24 |
| Teenage boys aged 14 to 18 | R1,113.01 | R533.01 |
For children aged three to nine, the grant covers R580 of the R863.33 monthly benchmark, leaving households to fund the remaining R283.33. The benchmark rises by R73.91 for children aged 10 to 13, increasing the amount above the grant to R357.24.
Teenage boys aged 14 to 18 have the highest listed monthly benchmark at R1,113.01. Their food benchmark is R249.68 higher than that for children aged three to nine and R175.77 higher than the benchmark for children aged 10 to 13.
Measured against the average nutritious-diet cost, the child support grant covers about 59% of the monthly amount. Its share is about 67% for children aged three to nine, 62% for those aged 10 to 13 and 52% for teenage boys aged 14 to 18.
