Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant: SASSA, a social institution with a mission to provide financial assistance to those in need, has introduced several grants to achieve its objective. One such grant is the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which was launched in March 2020 to assist individuals facing financial difficulties due to the pandemic’s impact.
Typically aimed at unemployed individuals, the SRD R350 grant has been a lifeline for many South Africans still grappling with the economic fallout from lockdowns. With over 10 million beneficiaries, the grant has been crucial for many to make ends meet.
However, a recent development saw the Withdrawal of the SASSA R350 Grant and a legal dispute arising from it. Fortunately, the legal action has been resolved, and the grant is now expected to continue assisting those who rely on it for their basic survival needs.
SASSA’s Move to Cut Budget for SRD R350 Grant Raises Concerns
In April 2022, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) implemented changes to the regulations policy of the SRD grant without seeking advice or approval from any department. As a result, the qualifying amount for the COVID-19 SRD was reduced, causing an uproar among concerned parties.
The grant amount was decreased from R595 to R350, limiting the Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant beneficiaries to a maximum of R350 in their accounts each month. Those with more than R350 were deemed “too rich” for the COVID-19 SRD grant and automatically disqualified from receiving it. This move has sparked concerns about the impact on vulnerable communities who rely on the grant to make ends meet.
Black Sash Takes Legal Action Against SASSA for Discriminatory Amendment
In June 2022, Black Sash, an organization dedicated to upholding human rights, urgently filed a petition against the Withdrawal of the SASSA R350 Grant in the High Court of Pretoria. The petition aimed to challenge SASSA’s recent amendment, which was deemed discriminatory and exclusionary. Black Sash was represented in court by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS).
The petition highlighted several issues, including the requirement to apply for SRD grants solely through online platforms, the preference for bank verification over other forms of information in the SRD applications, the insufficient grant amount of R350, and the lack of explanation from Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant for rejected applications.
Black Sash conducted interviews with 19 people aged between 22 and 56 through telephone calls to shed light on the challenges faced by those in need of Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant grants. One participant shared the issue of waiting for hours to receive payments at the post office, while another revealed the difficulty of traveling from branch to branch, where officials claimed to have no funds for payments. Participants also reported instances of bribery among SASSA officers to receive payments. Shockingly, the report showed that half of the beneficiaries of the SRD grant only used it for a single meal.
After the amendment in regulations, the consequences were devastating. According to the report, in March 2022, before the amendment, 15.5 million individuals applied for the Withdrawal of the SASSA R350 Grant COVID-19 SRD grant. However, in April 2022, after the amendment, less than 10 million people submitted applications. Three months after the amendment, an estimated 16 million applications for the COVID-19 SRD grant were declined.
DSD’s Response to Black Sash’s Petition and Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant
On August 16, 2022, the Department of Social Development (DSD) issued a response to the court petition submitted by Black Sash, outlining modifications to the SRD grant regulations aimed at addressing two fundamental issues highlighted in the petition.
Applying For An SRD Grant
The first change involved increasing the income threshold for COVID-19 SRD qualification above R350, while the second change was the removal of favoritism towards bank information verification over applicant-provided information when applying for an SRD grant. For those interested, the Withdrawal of SASSA R350 Grant online portal provides an avenue to check SASSA status.
As a result of DSD’s amendments to the SRD grant policy, Black Sash withdrew its legal petition against the Withdrawal of the SASSA R350 Grant and DSD. The agency released a statement, which said, “In response to the amended Regulations, which are welcomed, we have since withdrawn the legal application. It nevertheless remains disheartening that it took a legal challenge for DSD to change its course and adopt a human rights-based approach to the grant system.
Sassa owes me R9000.I want my money.How do I go about doing that caus I’ve been struggling to communicate with them since January 2023.
Since last year I don’t get 350 ,so now March to July they approved but no playdates
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I have not received money from January to July and I don’t know why
Payments dates are not given yet .I request for dates to claim 350 grant