The Department of Social Development (DSD) has been instructed to revise several regulations that govern the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. This comes after the Gauteng High Court found that several rules governing the eligibility criteria and the verification checks for the SRD grant were unconstitutional and unlawful.
In 2024, #PayTheGrants and the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), took the DSD)to court to challenge several of the SRD grant regulations.
Siyanda Baduza, Basic Income Researcher at the IEJ says the judgment means that up to 18.3 million South Africans should be eligible to receive the SRD grant, removing restrictive barriers and addressing late or non-payments.
According to the government's estimates, there should be around 18.3 million people who are eligible in South Africa… but actual approval numbers have been far below that—less than half.
The court further ruled that the SRD grant is not temporary and must be treated like other social grants. It declared several government measures—such as exclusive online applications, bank verification processes, and outdated eligibility checks—irrational and unconstitutional.
Things like online-only applications discriminate against people who don't have smartphones.
Additionally, the government must develop a plan within four months to increase the grant’s value in line with the cost of living. The grant has only been increased by R20 on one occasion.
The SRD Grant was introduced in 2020 at R350, and it remained at R350 for four or five years until it was adjusted last year in April—but only by R20, which was nowhere near sufficient to keep the grant at the same real value.
The ruling also criticised the National Treasury for unlawfully restricting access to reduce costs, and ordering reforms to ensure a fair and accessible system.
SRD Grant Coming To An End
The SRD grant will be implemented until March 2025. However, the National Treasury previously warned that any additional spending on grants must be funded through permanent revenue sources.
It remains to be seen whether the grant will be extended and its value increased in the next few months.
