Civil society groups are calling for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to be increased. This is because the R350 grant currently being received by beneficiaries is worth less than it was when the relief measure was introduced in 2020.
The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) believe the value of the SRD grant must be increased to at least R413. This amount would ensure the grant payment received by beneficiaries is in line with inflation since 2020.
They added that a plan must be introduced to increase the grant progressively until the grant’s value increases to the Food Poverty Line (FPL) of R624.
The call to increase the value of the grant along with several other recommendations came after members of the public were invited to comment on the proposed amendments to the 2022 Regulations relating to the Covid-19 SRD grant.
The IEJ and SERI welcome the opportunity to again raise these critical issues stemming from the Regulations relating to the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant issued in terms of the Social Assistance Act.
Their submission aims to ensure millions of poor people living in South Africa continue to receive the grant and are not wrongfully excluded from receiving the critical relief measure.
Beneficiaries of the SRD grant are subjected to several verification checks to ensure their eligibility. This includes identity verification, bank verification and checking whether an SRD grant application is receiving any relief from the government.
The IEJ and SERI say the regulations must state clearly in which order verification checks are performed, and which information takes precedence. They add that given the problem previously encountered with bank verification checks, preference must be given to the personal information provided by applicants
The income threshold for the SRD grant refers to the amount of money in a person's bank account. The bank verification check aims to ensure that the grant application does not exceed the income threshold for the SRD grant of R624.
They explain that bank verification practices treat any money deposited in an applicant’s bank account as income. However, this may not be the case as some grant applicants receive money into their account on behalf of relatives who may not have bank accounts themselves or because they are making payments on behalf of such people.
Additionally, they are calling for the income threshold to be increased to the Upper Bound Poverty Line of R1417. This will ensure that everyone with an income below the poverty line receives support.
We are also concerned that the current verification process remains reliant on databases which have been shown to include outdated or incorrect information
The SRD grant is a temporary relief measure from the government and is set to conclude in March 2024.
The IEJ and SERI argue that the Constitution requires the government to progressively realise social assistance for those who require it. They wanted that cutting funding for and removing the SRD grant would be a retrogression of rights provided for in the Constitution.
