11 March 2025
Youth dominate applications for the Social Relief of Distress grant: 62% of applicants since 2020 were 35 and younger. Source: SASSA. Graphic: Marecia Damons
Every month, about 80,000 new people apply for the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, adding to approximately 9-million people already receiving this grant. This is according to South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi.
By February 17.4-million people had applied for the grant since it was introduced in May 2020, SASSA told Parliament last week. He said May 2024 and January 2025, showed the highest number of new applications, with 171,907 and 168,071, respectively.
Overall, KwaZulu-Natal recorded the highest number of SRD grant applications, with 4.4-million applicants, followed by Gauteng with 3.2-million and the Eastern Cape with 2-million.
According to Statistic SA’s most recent quarterly labour report, the Eastern Cape reported among the highest rates of unemployment with 42% while Gauteng and KZN reported rates of 34% and 30%, respectively.
Nationally, 9.3-million of the total applications since 2020 had been submitted by women compared to approximately 8-million from men. Just over 14,000 applications came from non-South African citizens, mostly holders of Lesotho Exemption Permits (7,406) and asylum seekers (6,268).
The grant is offered up to the age of 59. But people aged 35 and younger accounted for 62% of applicants over the period. The largest group was people between 20 and 24, who made 3.6-million applications.
More than 80% of applicants had Grade 10 or matric qualifications. A considerable number of applicants — 7.5-million nationwide — held a matric qualification, while about 945,000 had tertiary education.
High school graduates represent the largest group seeking assistance, with 7.5 million applicants with matric as their highest qualification and 6.5 million with Grade 10 as their highest qualification applying for SRD grants. Source: SASSA. Graphic: Marecia Damons
The grant, introduced during the Covid lockdown, was intended to be a short-term solution for millions of people. The current extension of the SRD grant will end on 31 March 2025.
In January, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that regulations limiting access to the SRD grant were unconstitutional and invalid. The court also ordered the government to increase both the grant amount and the income threshold to qualify.
Speaking to the portfolio committee on social development last Wednesday, advocate Luyanda Mtshotshisa, representing the department, told MPs that the government had appealed against the judgment they believe to be “flawed”.
The department and SASSA applied for leave to appeal on 13 February. The National Treasury has also submitted documents to the court for the appeal hearing, Mtshotshisa told the committee.
“Should the leave to appeal be granted, this will suspend the ruling against the regulations until the appeal is heard. We are now awaiting the decision from the court, which will guide the next steps.”