People who receive the R370 SRD grant say can't make ends meet and want an increase.
The Social Relief of Distress grant has increased by just R20 since it was introduced at R350 during the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving beneficiaries trying to survive on R370 a month as questions continue over whether government should increase the payment further.
While Treasury has warned that increasing and expanding the SRD grant could cost the State close to R100 billion, economists said government must weigh the need to support unemployed South Africans against whether the country can sustain a significantly bigger social grant bill.
The GOOD Party, however, has described Treasury’s decision to appeal a Pretoria High Court ruling on the grant as a “disgraceful denial of the State’s constitutional obligations to provide income support to destitute people”.
The SRD was introduced in 2020, as a temporary Covid-19 relief measure for unemployed adults with little or no income. It remained at R350 for almost four years before being increased by just R20 to R370 in April 2024.
