The Department of Social Development (DSD) has gazetted changes to the regulations related to Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant requirements. It is expected that around 5 million more people will now qualify for the grant.
The income threshold for the grant has been raised from R350 to the food poverty line of R624 per month. This means that people will now be allowed to earn up to R624 or have that amount of money in their bank account and still qualify for the grant.
Earlier this year, the SRD grant income threshold was lowered to R350 after the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) anticipated a budget shortfall. This budget shortfall would have meant that they would have been unable to pay to all the individuals who qualified for the grant.
However, a consequence of this lowered income threshold resulted in around only 5 million people qualifying for the grant. This was considerably less than the 10 million people who benefited from the grant under its previous iteration when the income threshold was R595.
The announcement could mean that 10 million people will now qualify for the crucial relief mechanism. While this is a welcomed relief for many, civil groups believe that bigger changes should have been made.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu added that the department will assist unsuccessful grant applicants with information on potential employment opportunities.
“Currently, Sassa is in the process of establishing a data-sharing relationship with the Departments of Public Works and Infrastructure and Employment and Labour with the goal of assisting Covid-19 SRD grant recipients to gain access to employment opportunities” explained Zulu.
Sassa no longer deals with R350 grant appeals. These reconsideration applications are handled by the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA).
Click Here To Learn How To Submit A New R350 Grant Appeal.
