The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has brought financial relief to millions of unemployed South Africans since 2024, here’s how many people benefit from the grant monthly.
In 2024 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the unemployment levels in South Africa were very high due to people being forced to leave their jobs in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The unemployment rates increased from 32.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The government introduced the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in 2024 to assist those aged between 18 and 59 years old who were unemployed and unable to provide for themselves and their families.
It is said that more than 10.2 million people have benefited from the R350 SRD grant every month
This grant has been extended even though South Africa is no longer under a National State of Disaster due to Covid-19. The R350 SRD grant will run until 31 March 2024 and South Africans are able to apply for the grant until this deadline.
Beneficiaries of this grant receive R350 from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) each month to provide for their basic needs.
Sassa’s statistics show that the SRD grant plays an important role in protecting individuals and households against a loss of income.
Sassa also awarded 167 802 SRD grants at a cost of R192 million to families who were experiencing undue hardship, those awaiting grants and families where a breadwinner has died.
According to the Agency, the SRD grants were extended to cover projects such as the Zero Hunger campaign which responds to challenges of food insecurity. Though the levels of food insecurity decreased from 23.6% in 2010 to 21.3% in 2017, the issue remains a priority for the South African government.
