Human rights organisation, Black Sash had welcomed the gazetting of new regulations to facilitate the continuation of the SRD grant despite the lifting of the national State of Disaster.
According to the organisation, the Department of Social Development ought to comply with its mandate under the Social Assistance Act to provide for the vulnerable.
According to the Social Assistance Act, the income eligibility threshold for the SRD is R350, meaning the applicants’ monthly income ought to be R350 and below.
Experts have highlighted that fewer people will receive the relief and social activists are concerned that those who previously qualified for the grant will lose access due to the lower income threshold.
In a statement, Black Sash said:
New SRD regulations may disqualify hundreds of thousands of existing beneficiaries.
The grant, which has been extended until March 2023 will only continue to be paid out to applicants who meet the new eligibility criteria.
Applications on the Sassa SRD website have opened and the Agency will confirm when will applications take place using other channels such as their WhatsApp line.
