Good News! The SRD grant has been extended to March 2025.
It was initially set to end in March 2024 however Treasury has considered the extension of the SRD grant to continue supporting those unemployed, in dire need in South Africa.
While delivering the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to Parliament on Wednesday 1 Nov 2023, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana said R34 billion has been allocated to extend the grant by another year.
While the Treasury could not commit to a longer extension, the SRD grant is still subject to review toward the end of the year 2024 whether it’s still viable to continue with the funding.
The government is committed to helping those not working by creating opportunities such as the Nasi-iSpani initiative in Gauteng to combat youth unemployment in the province.
An extra R33.6bn has been allocated to continue the provision of the SRD grant in the 2024/25 fiscal year and allocated for “social protection” of R35.2bn in 2025/26, which could potentially extend it for yet another year.
There are some promising finances to possibly keep the SRD grant permanent until more and more people have found employment to support themselves in the country.
We urge all SRD beneficiaries to regularly check their grant application statuses to ensure they’re still eligible, should there be further changes to the qualifying criteria of the extension until 2025.
If you haven’t applied for the grant, do so today as there’s an opportunity for everyone with no means of income in South Africa.
Can it be Permanent?
While this question brings a lot to debate about, the government does not have a long-term solution for the SRD grant, even though it’s on the table for discussion.
When the R370 SRD grant was introduced in 2020, it was solely meant to be a temporary grant solution for the poor with no means of income.
As the economy of South Africa continued to struggle, the government opted to extend the grant to support those in dire need since this economy hasn’t created a lot of job opportunities for people.
However, there seems to be hope the grant can be made permanent and become part of the general social grants the government provides to children, adults, and disabled people.
How Much is the Grant Right Now?
The SRD grant amount has never changed and has always been R350.
I know there’s been reports that the amount has been increased but all are just false news.
At this stage, the government cannot afford to increase the grant, more so, it’s just a temporary financial solution since the COVID-19 pandemic.
They have been creating job opportunities through initiatives such as teaching assistance, Nasi iSpani, etc, to combat unemployment in South Africa.
When is the Grant Paid?
The SRD grant is paid on the last week of every month.
You need to check your SRD grant application status to get your specific date since SASSA doesn’t announce dates similar to the other types of social grants.
If you haven’t applied, check the qualification criteria and start applying online today.
If you’re waiting for the response of your appeal application, then simply need to check the changes in your application status, frequently.
