An overwhelming response was seen when government decided to reinstate the Special Relief of Distress grant. SASSA would now have received well over 11 million applications for the grant.
SASSA aimed to have paid 6 million people their R350 grants by the end of today, the end of August. Payments commenced on 25 August.
Around 250 000 people were paid by 26 August after SASSA is said to have made improvements to the system. By 27 August, SASSA then paid 750 000 people.
SASSA Spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi, said:
We can safely say that as we speak, we have 10 million who have forwarded their application. We are busy processing them and making sure that we pay in batches.
The agency follows a number of processes to make sure the grant is paid to those who need it most. Applicants' information provided is then verified through the Unemployment Insurance Fund, Home Affairs, SASSA itself and NSFAS.
"The intention is to make sure that we do not necessarily have people who are making an application to get the money and they get the money that is not due to them," said Letsatsi.
Applicants are urged to provide banking details when they submit their SRD grant application. If applicants don't have a bank account, they can then choose to receive their grant through the Post Office.
RELATED: How R350 Grant Payments Work At Post Offices
Beneficiaries of the previous cycle of the R350 grant who have outstanding grants which need to be paid to them have until today to claim it.
Applicants can check their names on the list available on the SASSA website www.sassa.gov.za and proceed to collect their grants at the nearest Post Office.
Enquiries can be made on 0800 60 10 11 to confirm if there is any outstanding balance.
