HAMMANSKRAAL, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 06: People queue at South African Post Office at JubiIee Mall during adjusted lockdown level 4 on July 06, 2021 in Hammanskraal, South Africa. It is reported that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will remain open during adjusted level 4 and will operate with a reduced staff complement as per the Department of Public Service and Administration circular. (Photo by Gallo Images/Alet Pretorius)
SASSA R350 grant: Ramaphosa extends grant by a year to March 2023
Ramaphosa extended the R350 grant to March 2023. He said the government eventually wants to establish ‘a minimum level of support for those in greatest need.’
HAMMANSKRAAL, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 06: People queue at South African Post Office at JubiIee Mall during adjusted lockdown level 4 on July 06, 2021 in Hammanskraal, South Africa. It is reported that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will remain open during adjusted level 4 and will operate with a reduced staff complement as per the Department of Public Service and Administration circular. (Photo by Gallo Images/Alet Pretorius)
As predicted, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the extension of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant by a further year in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 10 February.
R350 GRANT EXTENDED TO 2023
Ramaphosa said the country’s social protection system has provided support to more than 10 million unemployed people.
He said given the proven benefits of the SASSA R350 grant, which was due to expire next month, it would be extended for a further year.
During this extension, the government would engage in consultations and other technical work to identify the best options to replace the grant.
However, he stressed that any future support for the nation’s vulnerable must “pass the test of affordability and must not come at the expense of basic services or at the risk of unsustainable spending.”
The president said it remains the government’s ambition to establish a basic income grant, of some sort; or, as he put it – “a minimum level of support for those in greatest need.”
As previously reported, extending the SASSA R350 grant by another year is expected to cost the government R35 billion.
Last month, Ramaphosa, Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, met with a collective of civil society groups to discuss the extension.
The groups will probably be pleased with the President’s announcement because, in their presentations, they proposed extending the lifespan and eligibility criteria of the assistance and increasing its value.
However, the ultimate goal for the groups is to make the R350 grant permanent.
