Under the new regulations, millions of Social Relief of Distress (SRD) beneficiaries were on the back foot. Lobby groups also advocated for change, and the government agency has assured the public that more people will receive the grant this time around.
After President Cyril Ramaphosa lifted the ban on the state of disaster, this then led to the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant being administered under the Social Assistance Act.
According to the new regulations, SRD grant beneficiaries were required to have a monthly threshold of R350 to qualify. Lobby groups disapproved of this move as millions of applicants were declined.
Recently, the department published amended regulations which include increasing the income threshold for means test from R350 to R624.
In a statement, Sassa confirmed:
This means that applicants who have an inflow of funds in their bank accounts of less than R624 (for that particular month) qualify to receive the grant with effect from August 2024.
It is said at the beginning of August 2024, Sassa had received under 12 million applications for the SRD grant.
The government agency has admitted that it had experienced slight delays and challenges with assessments for the month of July 2024. However, it has been confirmed that the July assessments will soon be concluded.
DSD Minister Lindiwe Zulu has encouraged all applicants to provide Sassa with their correct bank details to timeously facilitate their grant payments.
The President extended the SRD grant until March 2024, and Sassa has reiterated that the payment amount for the grant will remain R350 per person, for each month they qualify for.
Sassa has also shared that there are plans to make SRD grants more accessible.
