It is estimated that nine million people are currently benefiting from the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant distributed by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). Changes in the legislation under which the grant is provided may have created uncertainty for the millions of people who rely on the grant.
The SRD grant also known as the R350 grant, will also be increased to R370 in April. This was made in a separate announcement by Minister Godongwana in March 2024. Beneficiaries will now receive R370 per month, reflecting a R20 or 5.7% increase from the previous amount.
Earlier this month, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu confirmed the insertion of Section 6C into the Social Assistance Act. This was a critical choice as it will ensure that individuals who previously qualified for the SRD grant will continue being paid until May 2024.
Section 6C is a temporary measure to keep things running smoothly while they switch to the new system.
To ensure uninterrupted assessments and payments made during the transition between the Regulations published on 29 March 2023 under Notice No: and these Amendment Regulations, the Agency may use data used during the March 2024 assessment cycle, in terms of regulation 2, for continued assessments of clients up to 31 May 2024
The legislation enabled Sassa to use a beneficiary’s March 2024 assessment information to determine if a beneficiary is eligible for an SRD grant payment in April 2024. This eliminates payment delays for the coming months.
Sassa confirmed that the use of March 2024 beneficiary details will also be used for the May 2024 SRD Grant payment verification.
To qualify for the SRD grant in South Africa, applicants must meet certain criteria.
They need to be citizens, residents, or special permit holders, but they shouldn't be receiving other government support in the form of UIF benefits or NSFAS bursaries. Their bank account should have less than R624 to be eligible for the R350 grant.
Sassa conducts verification checks in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs for identity and citizenship checks and shares bank details with the Department of Treasury for income verification. Once satisfied with eligibility, Sassa proceeds with payments, and this verification process accounts for the end-of-month payment schedule.
SRD Grant Extension
Originally a short-term grant for the unemployed during lockdowns, the SRD grant has been extended until March 2025, providing essential support to individuals without income. President Cyril Ramaphosa says the grant kept many people out of poverty despite its amount.
The SRD grant received a budgetary allocation of R33.6 billion for the 2024 financial year. Provisional allocations were also made for the 2025 financial year and the 2026 financial year.
This means that should the government see fit, the implementation of the grant would be extended until March 2027.
