For people who receive a grant or need to receive one. By Gabrielle Kelly and GroundUp Staff This is an overview of South Africa’s social grant system and how to apply for social assistance. GroundUp updates this article regularly. This page was originally published on 6 March 2013. It is currently being updated (7 March 2023). (Please note that GroundUp is not affiliated with the Government...

Legal Resources Centre says these delays are “incredibly worrying” By Bernard Chiguvare Refugees living in Limpopo say they have not been able to renew their status for a number of years at the Department of Home Affairs. As a result they cannot get social grants for their children. The Legal Resources Centre says people not being able to renew permits at...

A new means test and bank verification process has resulted in far fewer people getting the grant By Liezl Human The R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant should be increased to R413 in line with inflation, say the Institute for Economic Justice and the the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa. The organisations noted with concern that the only aspect...

The short answer If your injury happened less than two years ago, your injury on duty case should still be open. The whole question Dear Athalie I was injured on duty, but now I have been retrenched because I cannot do my work properly. The doctor says I may have to use crutches or a wheelchair. Can I reopen my worker's compensation case? The long answer An injury...

“We came to the Post Office and they said there was no money” 11 January 2023 | By Marecia Damons On Friday, Postbank acknowledged that a glitch had prevented many social grant recipients from accessing their January 2023 payments. Postbank said the issue had been resolved. But GroundUp visited a Cape Town payment branch on Tuesday and found several beneficiaries had still not...

Research shows the grant can help end hunger and also contribute to economic growth By Carilee Osborne South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, with extremely high rates of poverty and unemployment. Large numbers of people are excluded from the economy without the means to ensure that their basic needs are met. Recently there has been a lot...

Payments delayed by means testing processes By Marecia Damons Payments for the new cycle of the Covid R350-a-month grant will be made from mid-June, according to deputy director-general of the Department of Social Development Brenda Sibeko. The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, introduced in May 2020, was due to come to an end in March 2022 but was extended in February this year to...

Social protection provides a lifeline but it’s not enough, say researchers By Marecia Damons The Black Sash has called on the government to set up a task team to work out how to increase the R350-a-month Covid Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to the food poverty line of R624. Speaking at the launch of a research report on social protection, Black Sash national director...

The agency says it’s waiting for Department of Social Development to finalise amended regulations By Marecia Damons SASSA will not be processing new R350 Covid Grant applications until the relevant regulations have been amended. The grant was introduced and distributed under the Disaster Management Act to provide relief to poor people and those left vulnerable due to the Covid pandemic. It...

The short answer Yes, but only if you still pass the means test. The whole question Dear Athalie I receive a disability grant from SASSA. What will happen to my grant if I inherit money? The long answer Because the disability grant, like all the other SASSA grants except for the foster care grant and the grant-in-aid, is means-tested, your income and assets have to...