Hundreds of unemployed people queued outside the post office in KwaNobuhle, Kariega to collect their special Covid-19 grants in August 2020. Archive photo: Thamsanqa Mbovane
SRD grant and TERS must be paid out “immediately” to help poor
“The hardship that is being created now keeps the possibility of more unrest alive” – PMBEJD NGO on SRD grant and TERS payment delays
Hundreds of unemployed people queued outside the post office in KwaNobuhle, Kariega to collect their special Covid-19 grants in August 2020. Archive photo: Thamsanqa Mbovane
The government must pay out the social relief of distress (SRD) grant immediately to relieve struggling households and reduce the threat of unrest the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group has warned.
The group issued the warning about the urgent need to pay out the SRD grant when it released its latest food price survey data on Tuesday.
“According to the research the average cost of all household baskets has increased by R384,78 or 10% to R4 241,11 over the past 12 months,” PMBEJD group programme coordinator Mervyn Abrahams said.
Food prices also rose in cities impacted by the unrest, with a spike of 3,9% or R161,60 in Durban between July 2021 and August 2021, bringing the price of a basket to R4 288,51. In Johannesburg the price of the basket increased by R143,27 (3,4%) and now stands at R4 331,13, while in PMB the price rose R128,33 (3,2%) to R4 093,00.
Abrahams said the government needed to urgently distribute social relief of distress (SRD) grants to alleviate household’s suffering.
He said the decision to start the new SRD grant process from scratch when the systems were in place for immediate cash transfer was “astounding”.
“There is no need for this level of bureaucracy which is delaying money getting to where it is most needed. People could die,” he said.
He said the government should pay the SRD grant to all people who had previously applied for it as well as to mothers who receive the child support grant.
“The delay in dispensing relief to households and workers affected by the unrest in July 2021 is resulting in unnecessary suffering. The hardship that is being created now keeps the possibility of more unrest alive,” Abrahams said.
He added that the gazetting of The Destroyed, Affected or Looted Workplaces: Temporary Financial Relief Scheme on 6 August had been “crucial”.
“Again, the systems are in place, that being the UIF/TERS platform. The portal for claiming is said to go live on the 25th August 2021. We don’t know how long it will take after this process for the monies (sic) to reach workers’ pockets. The end of the month is looming. Workers who have lost their jobs, will have no means to buy food unless the TFRS pay-out is immediate,” he said.
“Government is precipitating yet another crisis by its inaction. Tensions are escalating between workers and employers because workers do not trust that the monies have not yet been dispensed. The uncertainty surrounding the delays will have consequences for rebuilding,” he said.
He said the government needed to “move quickly” to pay the SRD grant.
“The mood on the ground is on edge. Most workers, historically paid so little, have no more savings buffers, there is no more money to absorb shocks. Paying out the SRD grant and the TFRS grant as soon as possible, will calm things down temporarily so that the thinking that needs to happen to move things forward and better is given space,” he said.
