Applications for Social Relief of Distress Grants open on Friday

Destitute South Africans can begin applying for the Social Relief of Distress grant from Friday.

The R350 social relief grant will this time around also be available for caregivers.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced the reintroduction of the grant amid concerns about the impact of violence and looting on the poorest of the poor.

People are encouraged to make sure their bank details or cellphone numbers are correct when they apply as this is key to receiving payment.

On Thursday, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu called on South Africans who haven’t collected their approved Social Relief of Distress grant to collect it before the end of the month.

Zulu says everybody must re-apply for the second round, even if they qualified and received grants the first time.

She says than half a million grants have not yet been collected from Post Office branches.

Zulu elaborates on the grant:

Long term solution

The monthly temporary grant for unemployed people, extended until the end of March 2022, will cost the fiscus R27 billion for the next seven months.

Senior Researcher at the Wits School of Economics, Lumkile Mondli, says while the allocated funds will help needy South Africans to access basic needs in the short term, a longer-term solution is needed.

Mondli elaborates in the video below: 

“R350 too little”

While communities say they welcome the reinstatement of the R350 social relief grant, many argue that it’s way too little and does not go far enough to cover their basic needs.

SABC News Reporter Chriselda Lewis tells us more: