The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) introduced the Special Covid-19 R350 Social Relief of Distress in 2020 as part of a R500 billion social and economic support package which was announced by the president in April when the national lockdown commenced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The grant was introduced to financially assist those who were unemployed and could not afford to take care of the needs of themselves and their families. SASSA has emphasized that the grant is only for those people who are currently unemployed, do not receive any form of income or UIF payment.
After the first round of the R350 SRD grant ended, the grant was reintroduced in August 2021 for a second round. All those who received the grant in the first round are required to submit applications again to be approved for the second round.
Applications for the second round of R350 SRD grant will close in March 2022.
Every month SASSA will be checking to see if those who have been approved for the R350 grant are receiving any other form of income above the amount of R595. This is SASSA's way of checking whether you still qualify for the grant or if your circumstances have changed and you're now receiving funds from elsewhere.
However, you will not have to submit an SRD grant application every month.
How to apply for SRD grant
- Website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za
- WhatsApp: 082 046 8553
- USSD line: Dial *134*7737#
- GovChat: https://govchat.app/login\
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govchat.org
SASSA has stated that it is not necessary to submit multiple SRD grant applications. Confirmation will be received as soon as the application has been successfully submitted.
Applicants are urged to check their application status regularly to see if they have been approved for the R350 SRD grant.
How To Check Your Status Online
- Go to the SASSA SRD grant website
- Scroll down to 'Application status'
- Click on 'Click here to check online'
- Fill in the required fields
- You should then be able to see the status of your R350 grant application
If you were unemployed and met the eligibility criteria at the time you submitted your application, then your application will be approved by SASSA.
You will then receive your payment of R350 for every month following that until March 2022. If for any reason, the applicants no longer meets the eligibility criteria, SASSA can stop making payments into the account of the applicant.
