Tolashe says steady progress being made to transition SRD into permanent grant

Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe says her department is making steady progress in converting the Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) into a more permanent income support grant that will be linked to economic opportunities.

The R370 SRD grant, introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, has been extended year-on-year, with its most recent extension set to end in March 2027.

On Wednesday, Tolashe told Parliament that on average, it takes five years to develop a policy and a lot of work is going into drafting legislation that will guide the introduction of a livelihoods grant.

The Social Development Agency, SASSA, is currently paying out SRD grants to 7.8 million people.

Tolashe said the department has already presented its preliminary work on the conversion of the grant to the Cabinet and the National Treasury.

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She said the extension of the SRD grant until next year buys the department more time to fine-tune its policy.

"It gives us an opportunity to strengthen everything that we are doing and fast track where we came [from] to make sure we are coming closer to a conclusion."

Deputy Director-General Brenda Sibeko appeared confident that there would be no break in the payment of the grant as the transition gets underway.

"It will still be a temporary provision until such time that there is a law that empowers us, and empowers the treasury to permanentise it."

The department said it’s exploring ways to collaborate with other government programmes to link the new grant to opportunities that will help people find meaningful ways to earn an income.