The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is expected to pay the R350 grant to more people after the Department of Social Development (DSD) gazetted a proposal that will result in the income threshold being increased to R624.
After the DSD announced the increased R350 grant income threshold, it is expected that more people will benefit from the grant. This is on the condition that they meet all the qualifying criteria.
Here Are The New Sassa Proposed R350 Grant Requirements
To qualify for the R350 grant a person must…
- Be a South African citizen, permanent resident, refugee, a holder of a special permit under the Special Angolan Dispensation, the Lesotho Exemption Permit Dispensation; Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Dispensation; or an Asylum seeker with a valid section 22 permit or visa
- Be between the ages of 18 and 59 years old
- Be residing within the borders of South Africa
- Be registered on the Home Affairs database or Sassa’s social grant database for individuals without ID documents.
- Not be living in a government Institution or subsidised institution
- Not have an income of more than R624
- Not be receiving covid-19 social Relief of Distress
- Not be receiving Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Benefits or National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) support or any other social grants distributed by Sassa
In April, when the National State of Disaster was lifted, the R350 grant could not be distributed under the disaster management act. The grant was then provided under the Social Assistance Act.
When this change in legislation occurred, the income threshold was lowered from R595 to R350. This change meant that almost half the 10.9 million people who previously benefited from the grant, no longer qualified to receive the relief.
This article was updated on 22 July 2022 to include additional information.
