The South Africa Social Security Agency (SSA) has decided to increase the social relief distress for their citizens. Residents who are affected by COVID-19 and are struggling to make a living due to financial crises will receive the benefit of R350 from the program.
The SASSA SRD R350 Changes made by the government came into work on April 1, 2024. The Information like summary, eligibility criteria, amount increase, and other factors are discussed below.
SASSA SRD R350 Changes 2024
The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced increasing the amount of SRD R350 for the welfare of their citizens on February 8, 2024, during his State of Nation Address (SONA). As per the reports, this financial assistance was introduced to help the citizens who have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These help the citizens who are facing hardships in fulfilling their daily needs. So, the citizens need to have proper Information related to the requirements, which must be strictly followed.
Tackling Incorrect SRD R350 Payments
The government of South Africa has decided to ask for incorrectly transacted funds to be transferred into citizens’ bank accounts. It is a crucial update of the government’s ability to take back their money from ineligible citizens, which is granted by mistake.
Minister Zullu has stated that if any person receives the payment by mistake, the South Africa Social Security Agency will recover the payment from them. These citizens don’t meet the criteria and aren’t considered under the Social Relief Distress category set by the authorities. It helps the government to make white and fair payments to the system.
SASSA SRD Grant R350 Payment Schedule
The South Africa Social Security Agency also released Information related to the distribution of grants among citizens. This Payment is very important for citizens who lost their jobs during COVID-19 and became unemployed. It is also important for the families who have lost the head of families and became homeless, also suffering from financial crises.
This program usually helps citizens who have yet to receive other social grants or UIF benefits. Grants also reduce poverty and contribute to maintaining the country’s economy.
Social Relief Distress’s payment distribution always follows the program’s monthly payments. SASSA authorities usually provide Information about exact dates through their broadcasting channels. Eligible citizens will receive the payment using the last three digits of their ID and manage to define the date of payment.
For May, the grants for older persons will be released on May 3, and the disability grants will be released on May 6. Lastly, the payment grants for Children will release on May 7 in the complete year 2024.
Eligibility for SASSA SRD R350 Changes 2024
Citizens who want to receive the benefits of these programs must know about the authorities’ eligibility requirements. These requirements must be strictly followed by the citizens in order to receive the benefits of the program. SASSA started the program of Social Relief Distress only for genuinely suffering citizens and wanted to provide them with benefits.
Here is the eligibility criteria which need to be followed are as follows:
- A person must be a permanent resident of South Africa.
- Immigrants must have legal permits from authorities to work and stay in South Africa.
- A person who is applying for the program must be unemployed or need a source of income to receive this benefit.
- A person didn’t receive the benefits of any other grants like UIF payments, Stipend, etc.
- The married couples who applied jointly must have less than what is defined in the program.
- Individuals also have incomes less than or up to the income threshold set by the authorities.
These are the eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled by the citizens to receive the grants of R350.
SASSA SRD Grant Increase & Its Impact
The increase in grants was made from April 1, 2024; it was also the first increase in payment from the start of the program in the year 2020. This amount is only helpful for the citizens who completely rely on the government for their living after COVID-19. The impact of this increase is large, with an additional R2.2 billion in funds required for the distribution of grants for the year 2024-25.
| Grant Type | Value | Increase (2024) | Beneficiaries (as of Dec 2023) |
| Foster Care | Current: R1,130 April 2024: R1,180 | R50 (4.4%) | 222,317 |
| Child Support | Current: R510 April 2024: R530 | R20 (3.9%) | 13,067,314 |
| Old Age (>75 years) | Current: R2,110 April 2024: R2,200 October 2024: R2,210 | R100 (4.7%) | 3,999,326 |
Haley Jena is the finance content writer at RLPS. She graduated with a Double Degree in Finance and Business Administration, complemented with a Master in Business Administration (MBA).