More than 17-million people apply for R370 grant

More than 17-million people applied for the R370-a-month social relief of distress grant in September.

This is an increase of more than three million people since September 2021, when 13.8-million people applied, according to the latest figures supplied by the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa).

About a quarter (4.1-million) of the SRD grant applicants in September applied for the grant for the first time.

KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of applicants with 4.4-million applications. This was followed by Gauteng with 3.2-million and Limpopo with 2.3-million applications.

About 9.3-million of the applicants were women and 7.9-million were men.

About 1.2-million applicants have no formal schooling, but most (93%) have some education. The largest group (7.5-million) have finished matric, and more than 945,000 applicants have a tertiary qualification.

More than half of all applicants (9.2-million) have never been employed. A total of 4.8-million people have been working for one year or less, and 384,000 currently have jobs. To qualify for the SRD grant, applicants must have no other source of income.

Sasa said that 7.5-million SRD grant beneficiaries had been paid in August.

Other grants went up by R10 at the beginning of October.

The old age grant for people below the age of 75 will increase from R2‚180 to R2‚190 and for people above 75 from R2‚200 to R2‚210.

The war veterans grant will increase from R2‚200 to R2‚210‚ the disability grant from R2‚180 to R2‚190‚ and the care dependency grant from R2‚180 to R2‚190.

“This increase reflects the government's commitment to improving the welfare of all grant beneficiaries. Sassa remains committed to providing vital support to South Africans in need and ensuring grant payments are made on time and securely‚” Sassa said.

Older persons' grants were paid on Wednesday‚ disability grants will be paid from Thursday and children's grants‚ with all other grants‚ will be paid from Friday.

“Beneficiaries are reminded there is no need to rush to withdraw funds on the first payment day or to withdraw all their funds at once. It is safer to keep your funds in your bank account‚ transact with your card and only draw small amounts at a time.

“Funds will remain in clients' accounts and will not be forfeited if not withdrawn immediately. Sassa remains dedicated to ensuring all payments are processed smoothly and beneficiaries receive the support they depend on without hassle.” – GroundUp and TimesLIVE