The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has initiated the disbursement of Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants for March 2024.
Beneficiaries can expect the processing of grant payments to occur from 25 March 2024 to 29 March 2024. After processing, it typically takes around 2 to 3 working days for the funds to reflect in the recipient's account.
Sassa has made the following clear to beneficiaries:
Funds will take about 2 - 3 working days to reflect in the client’s account after payment has been processed.
Where To Fetch Your R350 Grant Payment
Recipients of the SRD grants have the choice to receive their payments directly into their bank accounts, ensuring immediate access. Alternatively, individuals without personal bank accounts can select the Cash Send payment option, requiring only their ID number and phone number for collection, along with proof of identification.
Retail establishments like Pick n Pay, Checkers, Shoprite, and Boxer play a role in facilitating SRD grant payments for beneficiaries who opt to personally collect their R350 grant.
SRD Grant Increased And Extended
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, recently took to the podium to announce that the SRD grant will officially be increased from 1 April. The R350 grant will be increased to R370, resulting in a R20 increase which is a 5.7% increase.
During the 2024 Budget Speech, the Finance Minister said that "work is currently underway to improve the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant by April this year ... these improvements will be in within the current fiscal framework".
During the 2024 State of The Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa said the grant will be extended. The most recent extension means that beneficiaries can collect their R350 grant until March of 2025.
The SRD grant has received a budgetary allocation of R33.6 billion for 2024/25, with provisional allocations for 2025/26 and 2026/27. This means that should the government see fit, the implementation of the grant would be extended until March 2027.
