Sassa is a government institution established to provide financial assistance to South African citizens and other people living in South Africa who have insufficient means. At the beginning of August 2022, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) received more than 12 million applications for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. However, not all applications received by the agency will be approved for payment.
SRD grant applicants can the decision made by Sassa to reject their SRD R350 grant applications. They do this by submitting a SRD grant reconsideration request and specifying that it is for the Social Relief of Distress grant.
The existing Sassa grants include the Child Support Grant, Older Persons grant and the most popular new Sassa grant is the R350 Special Relief of Distress grant. You should make a grant application to Sassa if you think you qualify for this grant.
Sassa Status Check For Appeals
Sometimes you unfortunately have to do a Sassa grant appeal. Your appeal application will be sent to Sassa and the Independent Tribunal Once the body responsible for evaluating reconsideration requests has considered your appeal, they will provide you with their decision once they have completed the appeal process.
You will then be able to check your Sassa reconsideration status and your appeal status.
How To Check Your Sassa Reconsideration Status
- Go to Sassa Appeals Website
- Enter ID number
- Enter cellphone number
- Click Track appeal
You can also call the Sassa Call Centre at 0800 601 011.
Appeal Status
You need to check on your appeal status with the independent tribunal because the appeal process can sometimes have problems. Your Sassa SRD status is always linked to your ID number so when you contact Sassa you will always state that.
Social Development Independent Tribunal For Social Assistance Appeals
The appeal submission process for submitting SRD appeals has changed. SRD reconsideration requests must now be submitted to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals.
Sassa added that appeals could take a few months to finalise. They explained, “The appeals tribunal has three months to consider the appeal application and respond to the applications”.
The decision of the tribunal is the final decision and no further internal recourse will be available to unsuccessful applicants. However, the applicant may approach the High Court for judicial review within 180 days if they are not satisfied with the Independent Tribunal's decision.
When Will I Know If My SRD Grant Appeal Was Approved?
In terms of how long you have to wait before you receive feedback regarding the outcome of your successfully submitted appeal application, Sassa has stated that the Independent Tribunal will inform you of your appeal status electronically, via a confirmation message, within a period of 60 - 90 days from lodging of the appeal.
You can keep track your appeal status in the meantime, but keep in mind, the appeal process may take some time on Sassa's side as there are millions of applicants that have also submitted SRD grant appeals. It takes a while to get through every applicant's appeal application.
What is the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant and what is an appeal?
The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) or R350 grant from Sassa refers to the Special COVID-19 grant, temporarily introduced as an emergency grant by the South African government, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SRD grant provides a monthly payment of R350 to eligible individuals who were not receiving any other form of income or social grants.
It aims to provide temporary financial assistance, from the South African government, to those who were unemployed, unable to work, or faced financial hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown measures. The country's most vulnerable citizens receive social grants.
To qualify for the SRD grant, applicants have to meet certain criteria set by Sassa.
What Is The Eligibility Criteria For The SRD Grant?
Although the SRD grant was implemented as a temporary social relief measure during the pandemic, it has been extended multiple times. You can still apply for the SRD grant, but there are a number of eligibility requirements that you will need to meet.
- Citizenship: Applicants need to be South African citizens, permanent residents, or refugees registered with the Department of Home Affairs.
- Age: Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 60 years old.
- Income: Applicants are required to have little to no income. The exact income thresholds are determined by SASSA and subject to change. Generally, individuals who earned above a certain amount (specifically determined by SASSA) were not eligible for the grant.
- Unemployment: Applicants must be unemployed and not receiving any other form of income or social grants or money from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF payment).
