The SRD Grant Of R350 Has Been Extended.
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NMMABUNDA
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The SRD Grant Of R350 Has Been Extended.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government’s Social Relief of Distress Grant will be extended for another year, until March 2023.
Ramaphosa said the grant had been a critical buffer for millions of South Africans whose livelihoods had been devastated by the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic during his sixth State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
The R350 monthly disbursement has been in high demand, highlighting the pandemic’s impact on poor South Africans in an economy that is already struggling with record unemployment and slow growth.
While the grant – which was established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown – would be extended by a year, Ramaphosa said any additional support would still have to be assessed during his address at Cape Town City Hall on Thursday evening.
“We will extend the R350 SRD grant for another year, until the end of March 2023, in light of the grant’s proven benefits. We will conduct broad consultations and detailed technical work during this time to determine the best options for replacing this grant “Ramaphosa stated.
Any additional funding beyond the SRD grant, according to Ramaphosa, must “pass the affordability test.”
He stated that the government would not support a grant disbursement that would “compromise basic services or risk unsustainable spending.”
“Our ambition remains to establish a minimum level of support for those in greatest need,” Ramaphosa said.
Earlier in his speech, he stated that South Africa had entered a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and that the government would consider ending the National State of Disaster in accordance with the National Health Act and other legislation.
