Social Development’s new SRD regulations further burden beneficiaries
24 August 2022
Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Bridget Masango MP.
The Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu’s new regulations regarding the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant will increase the burden on struggling applicants.
As it is, applicants wait months for confirmation on whether their applications were approved. For many applicants approval also does not translate to payment.
The new conditions to the regulations imposed by the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) expects SRD grant beneficiaries to confirm whether they still need the grant every three months. While the DA accepts that verification is needed to ensure that the country’s limited resources reach the people who most need it, this burden should not rest on the shoulders of said vulnerable.