The South African Social Security Agency, or what we know as Sassa, administers grants to assist poor and vulnerable citizens.
Should you be applying to benefit from one of Sassa’s grants, you will need to sign a declaration and consent form. This is done so that Sassa has your permission to have your information validated and shared with other organisations and financial institutions such as the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and banks.
Without consent, your application will not be processed. Sassa's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant or R350 grant, which was implemented as a means to offer relief during the Covid-19 pandemic, uses a specific form for declaration and consent.
As for the other grants, they use the same declaration and consent form, which they will be able to access when they apply in-person. During the application process, applicants are expected to agree or disagree to this document by confirming for instance through a yes or no option.
Successful applicants will have to provide their banking details for payment purposes or their bank of choice for a cash transfer.
Sassa encourages applicants to apply electronically for grants rather than come to the offices. This can be done through the Sassa online portal. However, offices still remain open for grant applications.
Sassa was created in 2005 to distribute social grants on behalf of the Department of Social Development. This was done to improve the standards of living in the country and are given to people who are vulnerable to poverty and/or in need of support from the government, such as the elderly, people living with disabilities and those with young children.
They have become an essential source of income for many underprivileged South African citizens who have come to rely on these grants.
