Covid R350 grant to be paid from mid-June

Payments for the new cycle of the Covid R350-a-month grant will be produced from mid-June, in accordance to deputy director-normal of the Section of Social Enhancement Brenda Sibeko.

The Social Aid of Distress (SRD) grant, released in Might 2020, was owing to arrive to an finish in March 2022 but was extended in February this yr to March 2023. But all these who acquired the grant have to re-apply in the new cycle.

Underneath the new regulations, all candidates will have to bear a suggests check and anyone earning R350 a thirty day period or far more will be disqualified. Previously, usually means checks were only executed if applicants appealed towards a choice to reject their application.

Authorised applicants do not require to re-implement for the grant just about every month, but checks will be manufactured every single thirty day period to discover out if the applicant still qualifies.

All through the signifies tests, banks will ensure regardless of whether the ID range of the applicant is linked to any bank account, letting the South African Social Stability Company (SASSA) to test regardless of whether the applicant has many bank accounts.

Addressing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee for Social Development on Friday, Sibeko claimed SASSA would keep an eye on applicants’ bank accounts for revenue, including aid from family associates. If additional than R350 is coming into an applicant’s account, they will not qualify for the grant.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu stated the signifies test experienced to be released so that the section could keep inside of a spending plan of R44-billion for the grant.

Sibeko mentioned far more than 18 million persons reside below the food poverty line of R624 a thirty day period and 13 million have no income at all. “The grant which can assist 10.5 million folks simply cannot protect everybody who is unemployed,” she reported

The Black Sash and the #PayTheGrants marketing campaign have slammed the delays in payment.

“Millions of people today have now absent without the need of signifies of their livelihood because of govt to-ing and fro-ing,” said Black Sash national director Rachel Bukasa. “We recognize that they need to place methods in spot but there is no justification to punish the most vulnerable in our modern society simply because of that.”

#PayTheGrants campaign stated that the delays were being a “deliberate act of cruelty”.

“For the earlier two and a half months, hundreds of hundreds of men and women have not been given their R350 SRD grant, as promised, top to deepening poverty and desperation.”

Outlining the hold off, Sibeko explained SASSA had to procure the products and services of financial institutions for the suggests examination process. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana experienced authorised the deal with the financial institutions in April but the banks’ legal providers also experienced to perform by way of the contract, Sibeko claimed.