Social Relief of Distress (SRD) R350 grant recipients breathed a sigh of relief when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 12-month extension of the grant. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana explained that R44 billion has been allocated to the Department of Social Development for the extension of grant.

The extension was made possible by ‘larger-than-expected revenue collections’. 

The extension has raised questions as to whether the grant will be made permanent by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). National Treasury has said that they are unable to commit to making the grant permanent. 

“National Treasury cannot commit to a new permanent expenditure without a matching permanent increase to revenue” explained the Treasury. 

The SRD grant was set to come to an end in March 2022. However, it has been extended and will pay benefits until March 2023. 

More than 10 million people are currently benefiting from the grant. The grant was introduced in 2020 to help shield unemployed individuals from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. 

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