Below is a media statement by the Social Development Department about SRD regulation amendments proposal.
The Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu has published draft regulations to amend some of the provisions for the Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant for the period, 1 March 2022 to 31 March 2023.
These amendments are proposed considering the undertaking by the Department of Social Development to review the provisions should the uptake of the grant and other challenges make it necessary. The Department is now able to report that implementation of the new iteration has commenced, and as of 30 June this year, the numbers are as follows:
- A total of 11,4 million people applied, of whom 43% are male and 57% female.
- Caregivers of the child support grant beneficiaries account for 4 million of the applicants.
- the total number of non-citizens who applied is 21 207, and the majority are special permit holders from Lesotho at 15 882, followed by asylum seekers at 2133, and special permit holders from Zimbabwe and Angola at 1613 and 1579 respectively.
- Youth under the age of 35 years account for 60% of the applications, while 40% of the applicants have a grade 12 qualification and 5% a tertiary education.
- So far, SASSA has started paying the June applicants while also back paying the successful reconsiderations from August 2021 onwards.
- For June 2022 applications, 5.273 million beneficiaries were approved, of whom 3.729 have been paid.
Under the third iteration, we introduced the testing of income against the bank account for all applicants, and not only those who had been declined. It should be noted that the maximum allowable income was set at R350, which meant that every applicant who was found to have received an income exceeding R350 in their bank account would be excluded.
Following the implementation of the new regulations, including the checking of applicants’ bank accounts against the income threshold of R350, the Department is concerned about the low number of approvals. Out of 11.4 million applicants for the month of June, only 5.2 million beneficiaries were approved. This represents less than 50% of the applications.
In line with the undertaking that the Department would review the threshold should the numbers indicate this, the Minister has now published draft regulations to amend some of the qualification criteria for public comments. The key proposed amendments relate to the maximum allowable income, the application of the bank verification and the requirement for applicants to confirm their need for the grant after every three months.
In this regard, the Department is proposing to increase the maximum allowable income from R350 to the food poverty line of R624, meaning that SASSA will decline any applicant who receives more than R624 into their bank account for each relevant month. It is important to state that the assessment will be conducted monthly, and should the income received into the account in a particular month fall below the R624, such an applicant will then qualify for the grant.
The value of the grant itself remains R350 per person per month for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and the second amendment seeks to remove the requirement for applicants to indicate if they require the grant after every three months.
Since the applications are in any case assessed every month, the Department is proposing to do away with this requirement.
In addition, the third amendment is aimed at removing the clause that places the bank verification process as the main criteria for determining eligibility for the grant. This is to ensure that SASSA applies all the different database checks, including the bank account income checks before making the decision to approve or decline the application.
The Department also wishes to remind applicants that, as in the previous dispensation, they must submit an appeal in each month for which they have been declined. However, the appeal is now lodged directly with the Appeals Tribunal and no longer with SASSA. The new website for appeals is https://srd.dsd.gov.za
In conclusion, the Department wishes to reiterate the request for all stakeholders to take this opportunity and submit comments on the draft regulations, to ensure that the most vulnerable individuals can benefit from the SRD grant.
The Department also extends sincere apologies for the long delay in assessing the April and May applications and we are doing everything in our power to fast-track the assessments, especially, the bank verification processes that are currently required by the regulations.
END
Subscribe
Subscribe to this website for more Sassa updates. Allow notifications to be sent to your device from Careerpage.co.za
Seems like government doesn’t care about it’s people anymore…I mean u get a peace job of about 2 to 3 months that pays u well but to government they make it seem like that it’s permanent job…I think it should change its regulations and go on giving money to those who are of need of it…unlike making life hard for them coz some depends on the grand….. down with empty promises down
My younger brother was diclined since start of this grant even now so I really don’t know who must get this grant
Hi I’m single man of 39
Why sassa it’s said decline it’s just because her don’t want to given us that R350
Been unemployed and UIF reflects. Do these institutions clean and update their database. How does Sassa comfortably use this info against applicants because it is not true. People are paid to work as reliable administrators who take such incorrect data. Sassa this unfortunately shows your lack of intelligence.
Kindly advise as I have a garantor to buy my much needed medicine for my pacemaker and pancreas. I was brutally attacked stabbed my right pinkie cut off.
Thankful to get help from Goverment Hospital.
But they do not supply my meds for my heart and pancreas.
Live with my disabled daugher in a room.
My husband myself 30 years apart not yet divorced as he have everything in trust and I cannot afford advocate.
Please the R 350 made a difference as I could cotribute to electricity.
What is going on with the srd website , it is not working and we can’t check our application status
I am not registered for uif i only do piece jobs if i got but still my application decline, i did appeal but still pending please i need this money if didn’t get a job to do im sleeping with an empty stomach
Just becoz they see money reflecting in ur account doesnt mean it belongs to me.Cant you help some1 who doesnt have id.And also i have 1 child in gr 10 ,a child in gr 3 nd a four year old they dnt received child support grant and u denying me 350,ohk so then give me a job nd i wont need you 350
This new process of checking bank every month it something else, what about those who get extra money by hand but still get 350, sassa suppose to give all unemployed people not even 350 but more, 350 it little, this country have lot of resources yet we suffer it we not employed, while countries with less resources give their citizens much more than this 350, South African government must change and take example to other countries or else this pensioners who are crowding in parliament must all resign and parliament must be on the hands of fresh mind age between 35 and 55
Is this government for the poor, a person never worked and now I asked people to help as I am taking care of cancer person, they put amount ofoney in the bank they say you getoney. They are working in government get big salaries but still steal money. Food is so expensive we have to pay funeral cover. This people really you are heartless
My March srd grant didn’t come through. May and July are still pending. How on earth must I feed my self. Thank you so much anyway I’ve received only my June payment. Kind regards,
I never applied for Sassa ever since
Can this grand be combined with my child grant. Coz we stand long queues at we can afford to wak up 4am when is the day of grand
My srd as been approved for April and june but no pay date the month of may and july is still pending. Can somebody tell me y is that?its the ist tym i applied on the easy pay bank acc has i could not stand an wait at the post office due to my previous experience being there,standing for hours waiting then being told to come the nxt week.
I am so disappointed at Sassa as they do check up on us you only work for 3 months contact to them you already a millonier…couse your status will tell you about a contract job that u you did last 3 months and as for their new links you wont get thru it it just blank so how will people reconfirm and appeal on it… i feel like instead being helped they just make us surfer even more thats how rish people are and they will never change.
I am a single unemployed mom. Every day is BATTLE & yet SASSA declined June(reappealed) April,May, July still pending. Imagine I was even declined last year August2021-Nov2021. The government doesn’t care..as long as they families are good! I feel they are also damn racist ..we never too white enough,now we not black enough hence the unemployment rate with indians. Although we have years of qualifications…we don’t get employed. Have you called the SASSA number and heard the voice prompts? Ridiculous I tell you. It’s not proper fluent English!! We need a government that truly cares about the people
I did reapply in April and the application says the application is complete until today nothing changed
Hi my name is Jason Rathbone I am still pending for June
Hi my name is Jason Rathbone I was declined for June for self exclusively respond but I am still pending for may and April
I’ve been getting the srd grant, and now april, may, is pending and june is declined. My status hasn’t changed since, I’m still unemployed
I wonder why my bank verifications are still pending since june but still when i check my my banking details it’s still pending.
For how long will I wait?
U been approved for my 350 srd but showing pending for jun July but March approved
What to do with pending status.Please help?
When will SRD start increases???
I receive grant money for 2 kids why must i be declined for the sake of getting more than R625 while am not working
Lokhu kungaba yinto enhle kakhulu nengayisimamisa imindeni yethu kwebhekene nakho
Morning,
Hi everyone like to thank everyone who work at sasa for their hard work. I’m 56 years old and chronic patient its hard to get job when we reach this age. Need help with grant cause I have no income nothing coming my way and R350 is helping little bit but need more cause everything is costly from foot to medication which we purchase over the counter etc.
its very hard termed as uif .irp5.hence the department finding that i was working on commision.never get any money from labour department.but yep still uif registered