South Africans reminded to apply for special COVID-19 SRD Grant

Cabinet has reminded South Africans to submit their applications for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to support people who have no income.

Applications for the grant opened on Friday, 6 August 2021.

In a statement on Thursday, Cabinet said it is conscious of the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent public violence in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Cabinet said the R350 per month grant is an important safety net for families, who would otherwise be devastated by the scourge of poverty and unemployment.

People between the ages of 18 and 60, who have no financial support of any kind, should apply. The first payments are expected to be made in the last week of August 2021.

The new iteration is for a period of eight months, with effect from August 2021 until March 2022.

“The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) opened new channels, where applications can be submitted via the govchat.app and Facebook Messenger, in addition to its website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za or through WhatsApp on 082 046 8553,” Cabinet said.

An amount of R26.7 billion has been allocated for the new iteration. This includes the administrative costs borne by SASSA.

The eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 SRD grant include:

– South African citizens;

– permanent residents or refugees registered on the Home Affairs database;

– persons who are holders of special permits under the Special Angolan Dispensation, the Lesotho Exemption Permit dispensation and the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Dispensation;

– asylum seekers whose section 22 permits or visas are valid or were valid on 15 March 2020;

– currently residing within the borders of the Republic of South Africa;

– unemployed;

– not receiving any social grant;

– not receiving an unemployment insurance benefit and does not qualify to receive an unemployment insurance benefit;

– not receiving a stipend from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and other financial aid;

– not receiving any other government COVID-19 response support; and not a resident in a government funded or subsidised institution.

Caregivers, who are not receiving any grant on their own behalf, should also apply for the special grant.