The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is expected to distribute Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant payments to more than 8 million beneficiaries in April 2024. April will also be the first month that beneficiaries of the grant benefit from an increased SRD grant payment.
In March 2024, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the SRD grant payment would be increased from R350 to R370. This represents an increase of 5.7% for the grant.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu confirmed the grant increase of R20 in Government Notice No. R. 3210 of 29 March 2023.
The monthly amount of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress is [R350] R370 per person and is payable for the months in the period 1 April [2023] 2024 to 31 March [2024] 2025.
Several other major changes have been gazetted by Minister Zulu concerning the SRD Grant. These changes will impact grant beneficiaries under several circumstances.
These Regulations are called the Amendment Regulations Relating to COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, 2024 and come into operation on 01 April 2024 by publication of the Notice in the Gazette.
The Gazette confirmed the Insertion of regulations 6A, 6B and 6C in SRD grant regulations. These regulations relate to recovery of funds, beneficiary information and the death of beneficiaries.
Section 6A: Recovery of Funds
Section 6A gives Sassa the authority to recover funds paid to beneficiaries. Funds can be received by Sassa under several circumstances.
The first circumstance where Sassa can recover funds is if an ineligible individual received an SRD grant payment. Ineligible individuals will have to repay all of the money they incorrectly received from Sassa.
Sassa may also recover funds from beneficiaries who fail to respond to the agency if they require the beneficiary to provide personal information or bank details.
The applicant who has not responded to the communication of the Agency as contemplated in sub regulation (2) must be given another 90 days to respond before the application is cancelled and the money is forfeited to the State.
It is therefore critical that beneficiaries provide valid cellphone numbers as Sassa will not be held accountable for messages sent to incorrect cell phone numbers.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the Agency has his or her current mobile number and the Agency bears no liability for any communication sent to an incorrect mobile number provided by the applicant
Grant Beneficiaries must also ensure that Sassa has their correct banking details to enable bank verification and payments.
Section 6B: Death of a Beneficiary
Section 6B of the regulations indicate that should a beneficiary of the SRD grant die, their grant will lapse at the end of the month in which they died. The SRD grant payments will stop.
The COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant will lapse on the last day of the month in which the beneficiary died.
Section 6C: Ensuring Uninterrupted SRD Grant Payments
Section 6C indicates that there’s a temporary measure to keep things running smoothly while they switch to the new system. Sassa will be able to use a beneficiary’s March 2024 assessment information to determine if a beneficiary is eligible for an SRD grant payment.
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”.
This measure will be in place until May 2024.
