The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) revealed that more than 90% of Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant recipients used their money to purchase food.
The SRD grant was introduced to provide crucial relief to unemployed South Africans in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Level 5 lockdowns also required people to stay at home. This gave unemployed individuals virtually no prospects of finding employment.
The first period of grant payouts ended in April 2021. However, the grant was reintroduced in August. This current payout cycle is expected to conclude in March 2022.
SASSA have reassured grant applicants that they will be paid if their applications were approved. They explained that even if the month that you have qualified for has passed, recipients will still be paid.
"If the applicant qualifies in that month of the application, he/she will be paid for that month & for the current month if they still meet the application criteria. The payment may not necessarily be a double payment / lumpsum or on the same day. It can be split over days or weeks" the agency said in a tweet.
The security agency has also said that any monies that haven't been available to recipients due to their bank accounts being inactive for a period of time will also be paid.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO COLLECT YOUR SASSA SRD GRANT.
You can also call SASSA’s customer care line on 080 060 1011 if you have any enquiries related to SASSA grants.
