Government is appealing a High Court ruling that found the grant can no longer be treated as a temporary measure after years of repeated extensions.
By Mapaballo Borotho
The future of the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is under scrutiny as government appeals a High Court ruling that found it should no longer be treated as a temporary grant.
The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) says the government must justify the limits placed on who qualifies for the grant and ensure fair access for al eligible applicants.
Phemelo speaks to IEJ Senior Policy Specialist Neil Coleman on Kaya 959’s Point of View.
“We went to the High Court in Pretoria in January 2025. The court found in favour of all the issues we raised, and the state is now appealing.
“One of the issues is whether this is a permanent or temporary grant, and the High Court found that, seven years later, the grant is permanent and the government cannot just keep on renewing it every year and pretend it is a temporary thing,” said Coleman.
The R350 Social Relief of Distress grant, which now stands at R370, was introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020 in response to the economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Initially, the grant was extended for six months but was subsequently extended multiple times to support unemployed South Africans.
Coleman says the court must determine whether measures put in place by the government, particularly by the National Treasury, unlawfully exclude millions of people who should be eligible for the grant.
“Whether those are lawful, the High Court in Pretoria decided that they were unlawful. Also, whether their failure to improve the value of the grant to keep up with inflation, but also to have some sort of yardstick that relates to the food poverty line, ensures that everybody under the food poverty line is eligible for the grant,” he added.
He says the fact that government does not allow people to apply for the grant at SASSA offices, instead requiring them to apply online, creates an additional barrier because access to the internet remains scarce in underprivileged communities.
“The court also found that this is unlawful and the state has to rectify it, but instead of rectifying it, the state has appealed the decision, and that is what is before the High Court of Appeal today.”
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST FOR THE FULL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE R370 SRD GRANT
Who qualifies for the R370 Social Relief of Distress grant?
Applicants must be:
- South African citizens, permanent residents or refugees registered with Home Affairs;
- Resident within the borders of the Republic of South Africa;
- Above the age of 18;
- Unemployed;
- Not receiving any income;
- Not receiving any social grant;
- Not receiving any unemployment insurance benefit and not qualifying to receive unemployment insurance benefits;
- Not receiving a stipend from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme;
- Not receiving any other government Covid-19 response support; and
- Not resident in a government-funded or subsidised institution.
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