SASSA Grants Get a Boost SRD Grant Yet to See an Increase

SASSA Grants Get a Boost SRD Grant Yet to See an Increase. At the beginning of October, several South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants saw an increase in their value, but notably absent from this list was the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. Calls for an increase in the SRD grant have surged from various quarters, including Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and members of Parliament.

Urgent Need for an SRD Grant Boost

With the rising cost of living and beneficiaries currently receiving a mere R350 per month, there’s an urgent need for an increase in the SRD grant. The African National Congress (ANC) has hinted at promises to address this issue.

ANC’s Stance on the SRD Grant

During the launch of the ANC’s manifesto review, Fikile Mbalula, the Secretary-General of the party, addressed the matter, stating their intention to increase the SRD grant. They’ve also engaged with the Minister of Finance, emphasizing that financial constraints should not be a barrier to providing this crucial support.

Why Hasn’t the R350 Grant Seen an Increase?

The Department of Social Development has attributed the lack of an increase in the R350 grant to “fiscal constraints.” Despite the department’s request to the National Treasury for an increase, fiscal constraints have hampered progress. Both Minister Lindiwe Zulu and Brenda Sibeko, the Deputy Director-General of the department, have expressed their desire for an SRD grant increase. However, as of now, there’s been no official confirmation of such an increase, and the grant remains at R350 per month.

Recent Sassa Grant Adjustments

As of October 1, 2023, Sassa has officially increased the value of most of its grants. However, the R350 SRD grant and the Child Support Grant Top-Up have not seen an increase this month. Permanent grants, including Older Person Grants, Disability Grants, Child Support Grants, Foster Child Grants, War Veterans Grants, and Care Dependency Grants, will all receive a R10 increase.

This means that the Old Age Grant, Care Dependency Grant, and Disability Grant will now be valued at R2090, while the War Veterans Grant will increase to R2110. These grant increases were initially announced by the Finance Minister during the Budget Speech in February, reflecting the growing number of grant beneficiaries and an adjustment in grant values. As a result, government spending on grants is set to rise from R233 billion to R248.4 billion.