People queuing outside a post office to collect their R350 SRD grants.
Image: Mkhuseli Sizani/GroundUp.
SASSA R350 grant: Will the SRD be increased to R700?
Will the SASSA R350 grant be increased to R700 for February and March? South Africans seem to think so but what does SASSA say?
People queuing outside a post office to collect their R350 SRD grants.
Image: Mkhuseli Sizani/GroundUp.
An advert has been circulating on social media that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has approved the payment of R700 for SRD grant for February and March.
WILL THE R350 GRANT BE INCREASED?
SASSA has since disputed the claims and labelled the message as fake news.
“In 2022 over 575 000 citizens will receive R700 payment. This is part of SASSA 2022 budget to support all South African citizens. Application has begun and the citizens that have applied have started getting their R700 payments. Only South African citizens can apply.” the advert read.
SASSA said it should be note that the advert is fake and does not come from SASSA. “No additional grant type is offered apart from the ones announced by SASSA.”
RAMAPHOSA EXPECTED TO EXTEND SASSA R350 GRANT
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce the extension of the R350 COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant when he speaks to the country at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 10 February.
n January, Ramaphosa – along with Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana – met with a collective of civil society groups to discuss the possible extension and improvement of the R350 grant.
The collective, which consisted of Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), Black Sash Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII), #PayTheGrants, and Amandla.mobi, proposed extending the lifespan and eligibility criteria of the grant and increasing its value.
The government said more and more people are dependent on the grant. Since its introduction, its recipients have grown from six million to 10,3 million recipients per month. The Treasury said that about 46 percent of the South African population receives some sort of social assistance from the State.
The Presidency said research has confirmed the positive impact of this grant in reducing poverty and hunger.
“President Ramaphosa expressed his deep concern around the hardship faced by the more than 13 million unemployed and impoverished people in South Africa and the need for the government to protect the dignity of all its people while being mindful of the resource base,” said the Presidency.
The ultimate goal for civil society groups is to make the R350 grant permanent. However, experts believe the president is unlikely to make that move just yet but as so many South Africans are dependent on the assistance its extension beyond March 2022 is all but inevitable.
