SASSA reports surge in SRD grant applications
The SRD grant is a monthly payment of R370 intended to assist South Africans facing financial difficulty.
A South African Social Security Agency office in Pretoria. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has reported a surge in Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant applications, exceeding the previous financial year's numbers
The SRD grant is a monthly payment of R370 intended to assist South Africans facing financial difficulty.
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In February, the North Gauteng High Court ruled against some of the rules and regulations that prevent more than eight million SRD recipients from receiving their grants.
During a meeting with the Gauteng Department of Social Development on Thursday, SASSA's general manager of grants, Godfrey Mohlamonyane, revealed that the province ranks second nationally regarding approved applications for the grant.
Gauteng has a representation of 1.5 million applications that were approved.
He said a total of 8 million approvals have been made countrywide.
Mohlamonyane added that some applications are still waiting to be approved, while others have been cancelled due to various reasons, some including finding employment.
He said, however, that the entity's been grappling with a major challenge of verifying the true identity of grant beneficiaries to ensure that funds reach the intended beneficiary.
He added that SASSA is putting measures to safeguard grant payments for uninterrupted benefits for legitimate recipients.