Informal social protection (ISP) has been recognised as a source of livelihood support for the poor and a critical element of the welfare mix in the global South. While the potential of ISP in contributing to economic welfare is well‐documented, less is known about its role in responding to and maintaining horizontal inequalities. Group‐based inequality is a key concern of transformative social protection, particularly discriminatory practices and exclusion that shape them. By using a mixed‐method approach to social networks, and including non‐poor and poor individuals, I provide insights into how support practices differ across race and education in urban Namibia thereby reflecting continued economic inequalities. I argue that ISP plays an important role in understanding transformative approaches to social protection; both by highlighting the importance of exploring ISP beyond a conceptual lens on poverty as well as its potential in maintaining power imbalances in a stratified, unequal society.