In today’s Sassa News – The beneficiaries of the Sassa R350 grant can breathe a temporary sigh of relief following the government’s decision to extend the social grant for another year after the Lobby Groups fought for the grant to be made permanent. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant was introduced in May 2020 to help unemployed South Africans amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed that the R350 grant will be extended while presenting the 2022 Medium Term Budget.

The medium-term changes to spending plans are driven mainly by the government’s decision to extend the special Covid-19 SRD grant by one year, until 31 March 2024.

The Finance Minister cited rising inflation, tightening financial conditions, and the ongoing effect of Covid-19 as the main reasons for renewing the grant.

Meanwhile, recipients of the grant receive R350 per month, and lobby groups continue to push for the SRD grant to be raised to R624, which is South Africa’s food poverty line.