The South African Social Security Agency, commonly known as SASSA provides social grants to help improve standards of living in society. They provide these grants to people who are vulnerable to poverty and are in need of state support, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and people with young children.
Many wonder whether SASSA provides a grant specifically for those who are unable to find work and are currently unemployed.
The answer is no, there is no Unemployment Grant provided by SASSA.
The only grant which exists for unemployed individuals is the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant which was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in April of 2020 when the country entered into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is paid to unemployed individuals, who do not receive any sort of income, social grant or UIF payment etc. This was implemented to support those individuals who had lost their jobs due to the hard lockdown put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Over the last year this grant has been extended a number of times and now this grant is coming to an end by 30 April 2021. Applicants are encouraged to send in their applications before this date to benefit from this SASSA SRD grant.
How To Apply For SASSA's R350 Grant
- SRD Website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za
- Email: srd@sassa.gov.za
- WhatsApp: 082 046 8553
- USSD: *134*7737#
If you qualify you will receive payments from the month in which you applied.
Those beneficiaries of the SRD grant who have been approved, should await payment and if they have not yet received their social grant payments, they are encouraged to contact SASSA offices.
