The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) pays social support grants to millions of financially vulnerable people living in the country. People who require financial assistance from the agency must submit a Sassa grant application.
The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, commonly referred to as the R350 grant, is aimed at assisting unemployed adults living in South Africa. Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for the R350 grant may submit a R350 grant application online.
It is estimated that 10 million people apply for the R350 grant monthly. However, only around 7 million people have been approved for payment of the grant. You can do a Sassa status check to see if you are approved for a grant.
How Long Takes To Approves R350 Grants
Individuals who apply for the R350 Grant are reminded that Sassa reevaluate their applications. Applicants eligibility criteria are assessed every month to determine if they should receive a R350 grant payment
It takes approximately three weeks for Sassa to evaluate applications and verify a grant applicant's eligibility criteria. The time this takes may vary depending on the time it takes to receive various databases.
The verification process for all clients is usually completed by the third week of the same month, and approved clients receive their payments in the following week.
Replacing The R350 Grant
The implementation of the R350 Grant is set to conclude in March 2024. This has raised concern among stakeholders as the discontinuation of the grant would leave millions of people vulnerable to hunger and poverty.
The Department of Social Development is proposing an extension of the SRD until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.
They explained that the extension will allow the Department to finalise a more permanent and sustainable intervention in the form of the Basic Income Support (BIS) policy. The DSD plans to approach Cabinet for approval to publish the draft BIS policy for public comments within the current financial year.
