No plans to extend R350 relief grant

THE Department of Social Development (Sassa) says there are no plans to extend the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant despite growing calls for the programme to be renewed.

The grant was introduced last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of social relief initiatives aimed at tackling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant has benefited millions of unemployed South Africans.

Earlier this year, when the grant was extended by Ramaphosa for a further three months, Sassa said it had processed over 9 million applications each month since May 2020.

In January it had paid more than 6.5 million grants a month. The total expenditure had exceeded R16 billion, the agency said. On April 30, Sassa issued a short statement insisting that the grant was coming to an end but that applications that were waiting to be processed would still be paid.

The introduction of the SRD grant has seen snaking queues outside the country’s post offices becoming a regular feature. Lines have been filled with people seeking assistance in applying for the grant.

Despite the end of the grant being set, many civil society organisations have gained strength from the calls for a basic income grant. While the idea of a basic income has been endorsed by the government, it’s unclear when such a grant would be implemented.

In a statement yesterday, Sassa said it had no mandate from the Department of Social Development to extend the SRD grant.

“Currently there is no official directive from the minister for Sassa to implement an extension. It is a known fact that millions of unemployed people have benefited from this special Covid-19 grant and we believe that when there is a decision taken for Sassa to implement, we will adhere in line with our mandate as contained in the South African Social Assistance Act 13 of 2004,” said Sandy Godlwana, a senior communications and marketing manager at Sassa.