Recipients panic as future of SRD grant hangs in balance

Millions of South Africans rely on the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, introduced to provide relief to the poorest of the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its fate beyond March 2027 remains unclear.

National Treasury said there were 'no fixed timelines' for finalising proposals on what could replace the R370 a month support.

Grant activist Elizabeth Raiters said, as it stands, recipients remain in the dark as to plans beyond March next year.

"It's very scary. These beneficiaries are in a big panic."

There have been talks about whether the grant could become conditional or even evolve into a universal basic income, but nothing has yet been finalised.

"The universal basic income grant was supposed to be implemented already, but that is also an uncertainty."

The grant was extended to give the government time to develop policies linking beneficiaries to skills development and employment opportunities.

In Raiters's opinion, that's not the only reason the grant was extended.

"Elections are this year, so they are playing it safe," she said, adding, "Government will be very wary to just stop this grant, because I think it will cause unrest in the country."

As for making the grant conditional on skills or employment-seeking, Raiters doesn't think it will work and says it misframes the current need of millions of South Africans.

"We have a lot of skill centres in my township. The problem is that when people finish those courses, there are still no jobs. So, what is going to make this different?"

She added that the perception that the unemployed don't want to work is incorrect.

"It's actually sad that the government thinks that everyone wants to survive on this R370. Everyone wants to work. Everyone wants employment."

To listen to Raiters in conversation with CapeTalk's Clarence Ford, use the audio player below: