SASSA Grants Costs Government Billions of Rands

18 million people will receive social grants in the current financial year leading to SASSA spending R195 billion on grants.

95% of the Department of Social Development’s (DSD) budget goes towards social grants.

As to where the rest of the budget goes, “The remaining five percent goes towards the implementation of all the Department’s programmes, including the allocations towards the administration of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the programmes of the National Development Agency (NDA).”

During her Budget Vote speech for the DSD, Minister Lindiwe Zulu revealed that the department’s allocated budget comes to R205 billion for the current financial year which ends in March 2024

This budget is a reduced budget when compared to other years with Zulu saying, “I could be happier with more when I consider the challenges that we face on the ground”.

Special Relief of Distress ‘R350’ Grant

The R350 grant has come to an end. However payments still continue.

Zulu said:

We are ensuring that those that did not receive their money throughout the period, which is very unfortunate that we still have some people who have not received their money but I think SASSA is doing everything they can to make sure that those that are outstanding must still be paid.

Applications for the grant closed on 31 April and appeals will close on 31 May.

“We have made our presentations to Treasury. We’ve made our presentations wherever was necessary for us to do that. Due to the constraints, we are not far from where we thought we would be but we are not going to give up,” the Minister said.

She continued to say that they are looking at the third wave and the impact it could have on people’s jobs and livelihoods.

We want to use this as the leverage for the Basic Income Grant … With the Basic Income Grant, it’s got to be just above the threshold.

DSD plans to present this to Cabinet.