Most people have lost their jobs due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, and more than half of the South African population is a beneficiary of a social grant.
According to the Department of Social Development (DSD), the SRD grant targets individuals aged between 18 and 59 years old, who lack any source of income support, and those facing undue financial hardships due to unemployment caused by the pandemic.
Many applicants of the SRD grant are checking the status of their applications, and some might receive a 'Referred' status. Sassa has explained what this status means.
If you have received a 'Referred' status, then your application was randomly selected for internal verification and quality assurance.
According to South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), this came after there had been a number of audit findings and complaints from the public in relation to them being excluded from the grant. Quality assurance and internal verification is also done in order to rule out the possibility of fraud.
The SRD grant, originally meant to come to an end in March 2022, has been extended until March 2023.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that this is to ensure that no person in this country has to endure the pain and indignity of hunger.
