Could the R350 grant become ‘the R585 grant’? Calls for increase intensify

The R350 grant has just one more month left before it expires again. The popular Social Relief of Distress payment was introduced by SASSA last year, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. With more than six million applicants, the measure provided a vital safety net for some of our most vulnerable citizens – but could an extension bring an increase?

R350 grant payment dates: When does the SRD expire?

Human rights organisation Black Sash is calling for both: They have the long-term goal of forcing the government into introducing a ‘Basic Income Grant’ (BIG), that would essentially be the permanent implementation of the R350 grant by a more official title. However, it’s likely that the SRD payments will lapse before any BIG can be rolled out.

That’s why Black Sash wants the R350 grant extended beyond April – to buy the ANC more time for establishing this major logistical operation. However, it’s not just a few more months they’ve asked for, but a few more rands too. The group, who formed in the early 1960s, want this particular handout to increase by 60% – taking the monthly fees up to R585

“There is overwhelming support, across political and ideological lines, for a Basic Income Grant now. The Black Sash supports the request for the Finance Minister to find the necessary resources to finance a Basic Income Grant for those aged 18 to 59 years with zero to little income.”

“In the interim, the government must extend the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant until such time that the Basic Income Grant is in place, and its value must be increased to at least the Food Poverty Line (currently at R585). Adults, who receive the Child Support Grant on behalf of children, must also qualify for this grant.”

SASSA latest: Basic Income Grant gaining traction

Lindiwe Zulu, the current social development minister, is confident that a BIG will be instituted as ANC fiscal policy at some point this year, despite branding it a ‘mammoth task’. She claims that there is ‘widespread support’ for their proposals:

“The department has received widespread support for the Basic Income Grant policy during the consultations with various stakeholders from academia, civil society, and organised labour since we began consultations in 2020. The determination of the appropriate path is a mammoth task.”

Lindiwe Zulu