Abstract
The article reviews social protection interventions in South Africa to determine how they give effect to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of particular interest is SDG One, which targets the alleviation of poverty. South Africa lags behind in terms of achieving the targets of SDG One, and therefore invests hugely in social protection interventions aimed at fighting poverty. The aim of this article is to answer the question, “What is the role that social protection interventions in South Africa play in attaining sustainable development?” The findings explore that social protection requires state-led interventions to improve citizens’ welfare. A qualitative conceptual and documentary literature analysis was used as the research methodology, where a qualitative description of findings focuses on themes that emerged from the literature review and was conceptualised by way of unobtrusive research techniques. The article recommends that social protection interventions be prioritised in public policy implementation in pursuance of sustainable development.