Government says rejected SRD grant applications do not necessarily reflect barriers to access, citing eligibility checks, digital verification and continued demand for temporary income support among South Africans.
More than 10 million applications for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant were not approved during the 2025/26 financial year, with government citing income levels, alternative financial support and verification failures among the main reasons.
The figures come as the SRD grant remains one of the country’s biggest forms of temporary income support, with millions of unemployed South Africans relying on the monthly payment.
According to a parliamentary response from then Acting Social Development Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, 18,017,250 applications for the Covid-19 SRD grant were received during the period under review.
Of these, 7,842,041 applications were approved, representing 43.5% of all applications received.
