The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is gearing up to distribute grant payments to millions of beneficiaries in April 2024. All recipients of social grants administered by Sassa can anticipate higher payments come April.
During his 2024 Budget Speech in February 2024, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana unveiled the 2024 Sassa grant increments.
The Minister confirmed increases for all permanent Sassa grants during the Budget Speech. This includes the increases for the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid.
Godongwana said that there would be a R100 increase for the older persons, war veterans, disability, and care dependency grants. This increase will be split, with R90 taking effect from April and the remaining R10 from October.
Furthermore, there will be a R50 Sassa increase for the foster care grant and a R20 rise for the child support grant.
These adjustments mean that for the 2024/2025 financial year, the government's planned expenditure on grants includes R107 billion for the old-age grant, R89.0 billion for social security funds, R85.8 billion for the child support grant, R73.4 billion for other grants, R22.0 billion for provincial social development, and R10.1 billion for policy oversight and grant administration.
Increase in SRD Grant
The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, commonly known as the R350 grant, has also been increased. Minister Enoch Godongwana announced this increment on Wednesday, 13 March 2024.
Beneficiaries will witness an upsurge from the current R350 to R370 starting April 1, 2024, marking a rise of R20 or 5.7%.
Godongwana described this increase as fulfilling the fundamental rights of vulnerable adults residing in the country.
Here’s the breakdown of Sassa Grant Payments for April:
- Older Persons grant: R2,180
- Older Persons (75 years and older): R2,200
- Disability grant: R2,180
- War Veterans grant: R2,200
- Child Support grant: R530
- Child Support grant (Top-up): R530 + R250
- Care Dependency grant: R2,180
- Foster Care grant: R1,180
- SRD Grant: R370
Approximately 9 million beneficiaries receive the SRD grant, with an additional 19 million permanent grant beneficiaries.
