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...

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...

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...

Following a meeting with organisations last week, the presidency acknowledged the impact the grant has had in reducing poverty and hunger By Masego Mafata Civil society organisations met the President and relevant Ministers to plead for the R350 Covid Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to be extended beyond the state of disaster. They want the president to set up a...

The unemployment figures in Statistics South Africa’s latest quarterly report are shocking, but 3.5 million people are missing from the official count. By Dennis Webster Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of this year shows that the country’s unemployment crisis is deepening. But the picture is likely a lot worse than you think. Released on Tuesday 30...

Government releases guidelines for municipalities to integrate Informal waste pickers into the economy By Zoë Postman According to a report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI), waste pickers are estimated to collect 80 to 90% of discarded packaging and paper in the country. It is estimated that this saves municipalities hundreds of millions in landfill space. Yet waste pickers receive very...