More than 7 million people receiving R350 social grant

More than 7 million people are receiving the Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant monthly after its extension in April, social development minister Lindiwe Zulu said on Monday.

Zulu said nearly 7.5-million people are receiving the grant on a monthly basis since additional qualifying criteria were introduced after the extension of the SRD grant until March 2023.

She was speaking during a media briefing in Pretoria where she also gave an update on the distribution of the SRD grant and progress on the child support grant top-up.

Zulu said the department has faced challenges during the distribution of the R350 grant.

She said beneficiaries providing incorrect banking details are one of the problems that led to recipients not receiving the R350 grant on time.  

She urged recipients to enter correct banking details.

''Applicants of the Covid-19 SRD are encouraged not to change their bank details frequently because every change requires that the new account be verified. Once your bank details are loaded or updated, please wait for a response from your bank before changing your details.

"With regards to payments, we are still having challenges with beneficiaries who upload incorrect bank details. We also urge all approved applicants who are not yet paid to check the status of bank verification, and if needs be, correct their banking details,’’ she said.

A total of R44bn has been allocated for the SRD.

Zulu said 16,486 beneficiaries are already receiving the child support grant top-up since applications opened in June and encouraged more people to apply. Only relatives and guardians caring for orphaned children can apply for and receive the child support grant top-up of R720 per child per month

She said the child support grant top-up is not a new grant.

Zulu said the basic child support grant is R480, but successful applicants can get an additional amount of R240, bringing the total amount to R720 per month.

''The additional R240 to the standard R480 is enabled by a 2015 cabinet-approved policy.  By ‘top-up’ we mean an additional amount of R240 that supplements the standard child support grant amount of R480.

"Only relatives caring for an orphaned child can apply for and receive the child support grant top-up of R720 per child per month. All caregivers of orphans should know that the child support grant top-up is available at all Sassa offices for them to apply,’’ said Zulu.

She said increasing the amount of the child support grant for orphans is government’s latest investment that is aimed at creating a better life for children living in poverty.

Zulu said the turnaround time of this application process, verification and payment is one month.

kokam@sowetan.co.za