As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government introduced the Social Relief of Distress grant. Several extensions of the grant have been made since then, and with each extension, calls for an increase in grant amount have grown.
In response to the economic ripple effects of the pandemic, the government developed the Social Relief of Distress Grant to provide financial assistance to those without financial means.
Does The SRD Grant Extension Mean Payments Will Be Increased
President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that the grant reaches approximately 7.8 million people in his State of the Nation Address this year.Recently, it was assumed that the SRD grant would be increased, but Sassa has since clarified that the grant remains at R350.
Experts have pointed out that this grant is not charity, but rather an opportunity for people to begin taking care of themselves.During his address at Cape Town Hall, Ramaphosa announced that the government will continue to pay beneficiaries the SRD monthly, despite the rising cost of living.
Isobel Frye, Executive Director of Social Policy Initiatives, stated the following in an interview:
- We are delighted that it has been extended, our only concern is the amount.
According to Ramaphosa, the government will increase existing social grants to cushion the poor against inflation.During his National Budget Speech on 22 February 2023, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will likely discuss this.
National Treasury’s limited resources and competing national spending priorities will be balanced in the budget allocation speech, according to the ministry of finance.
Black Sash, a human rights organization, is waiting anxiously to learn what the increase will be and also demands that social grants increase by at least the inflation rate, with no grant being below the Food Poverty Line.
According to Ayanda Sishi Wigzell, if there had been any decent politicians in South Africa today, there would have been a universal Basic Income Grant long ago.
The government’s fiscal constraints were revealed in the 2023 SONA as part of efforts to develop a targeted basic income support mechanism for the most vulnerable.