Sassa R350 Grant Application

The SASSA R350 Social Relief of Distress grant which is set to end in March 2023 has left millions of the grant beneficiaries wondering whether the R350 grant will continue or government has put in place another financial relief to support unemployed South Africans.

The R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant which is offered to unemployed individuals have been benefited by millions of South Africans who are not receive any other income.

In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic stroke, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the  Special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R350 after he declared National State of Disaster.

Financial aid in the form of the R350 grant was introduced to help unemployed individuals who could not work due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

The Sassa R350 grant is governed under the Social Assistance Act since the country is no longer under a National State of Disaster, the grant has seen so many extensions since 2020.

The government is yet to release any press statements about the grant being extended beyond its originally deadline in March 2023.

Department of Social Development (DSD) Deputy Director General of Comprehensive Social Security, Brenda Sibeko says that the department is working on a solution for when the R350 SRD grant comes to an end on 31 March 2023. 

According to him, the DSD is working with other departments including National Treasury on how to find solutions for the continued need for income. 

The DSD is considering introducing a basic income support programme but no decisions regarding this have been made yet. The department says that if this policy is approved they would still have to draft legislation which takes a lot of time. 

They have suggested that the R350 SRD grant be extended after March 2023 while they put the policy and legislation in place for the basic income support programme. 

Sibeko stated that the DSD has done a lot of work to ensure that people are less reliant on grants such as making sure that the beneficiaries are linked to economic opportunities. They have also engaged with the Department of Small Business and Development to help those who would like to start their own business. 

The DSD aims to help more people to grow their income and not rely on the R350 grant. 

However, Sibeko says that while these interventions are good they will not cover the 10.5 million people who are currently in the grant programme. 

Click Here To Get More Info On SASSA NEWS