Sassa’s Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is currently on its third and possibly the last cycle as there currently has been no indication of a further extension from the government.
However, this has not deterred civic society organisations from asserting that it should not only remain in place, but should also be increased to further accommodate its recipients.
Amandla.mobi is among the civic organisations that have submitted a memorandum of demands to the National Treasury Department.
They say that this can be achieved through the government taxation of rich people in the country, namely those who earn a total income that amounts to R1 million annually.
While discussing the proposed taxing of the rich in detail, Amandla.mobi, Tlou Seopa said that the extensive wealth inequality gap in the country should be considered when assessing the merits of their proposal.
The issue here is that rich people keep getting richer right while people from low-income backgrounds just keep getting poorer. The gap is widening and we know the inequality rate in South Africa is very high. Many times, you find that this money is earned through the labour of people in low-income backgrounds
She further states that the worsening unemployment rate has not made things any easier for current beneficiaries of the R350 grant and the government should move towards ensuring that this underlying issue is resolved.
For a variety of factors, the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has been the focus of numerous press headlines and complaints from its recipients and applicants. One of the fundamental problems is that the actual R350 that Sassa disburses each month is insufficient to satisfy a recipient's basic needs.
As a result, numerous civic organisations have pushed for a raise to R624, the nation's poverty level. These calls have only been more frequent, as the R350 grant is presently in its third cycle.
