The monthly R350 (about 24 U.S. dollars) COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant which the government has been paying over the last one year came to an end on April 30, said the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
The grant was introduced by the government in May 2020 to individuals who were unemployed and did not receive any income, social grant, or Unemployment Insurance Fund payment to cushion them against the effects of COVID-19.
“This means that no new applications will be accepted after this date. However, all applications which have been approved and who have not yet received the money will still be paid,” said SASSA in a statement.
SASSA said those whose applications were declined can appeal before May 31.
Many South Africans had been surviving on the grant since it was introduced last year, and they have voiced concern about where their next meals would come from without the SRD assistance.
Civil society organizations and unions called for the government to extend the SRD grant, with demonstrations and pickets organized at Post Offices and SASSA offices across the country.
