The Department of Social Development is trying to amend the regulations for R350 social aid of misery (SRD) grant.
Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu has printed draft regulations to amend a few of the {qualifications} for the grant for public remark. The core proposed amendments relate to the utmost allowable earnings of an applicant and the applying of the financial institution verification. The third is the requirement for candidates to affirm their want for the grant after each three months.
This is as a result of the division is anxious concerning the low variety of approvals for the grants. Out of 11.4 million candidates in June, solely 5.2 million had been accepted. This is lower than 50% of the functions.
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GRANT DRAFT REGULATIONS PUBLISHED
The draft regulations are to amend a few of the SRD provisions for the interval 1 March to 31 March 2023.
“These amendments are proposed considering the undertaking by the Department of Social Development to review the provisions should the uptake of the grant and other challenges make it necessary,” mentioned the division’s spokesperson Nomfundo Xulu Lentsoane.
The implementation of the brand new iteration has already began.
WHAT THE SRD REGULATIONS INTEND TO CHANGE
The testing of earnings in opposition to the checking account of all candidates will change, not solely for individuals who had been declined.
The most allowable earnings was set at R350, which means each applicant discovered to have acquired an earnings exceeding that quantity would be excluded from receiving the grant.
But the edge is now up from a most allowable earnings of R350 to the meals poverty line of R624. This implies that South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will decline candidates who obtain greater than R624 into their financial institution accounts for every related month.
“It is important to state that the assessment will be conducted monthly, and should the income received into the account in a particular month fall below the R624, such an applicant will qualify for the R350 grant.”
Nomfundo Xulu Lentsoane
“The value of the grant itself remains R350 per person per month for the period 1 April 2022 to 21 March 2023,” mentioned Lentsoane.
The second modification will take away the requirement for candidates to point out after each issues months in the event that they want the grant.
“Since the applications are in any case assessed every month, the Department is proposing to do away with this requirement,” Lentsoane mentioned.
BANK VERIFICATION PROCESS EXPECTED TO BE CHANGED
The third and final modification goals to take away the clause that locations the financial institution verification course of as the primary standards for figuring out eligibility for the grant. This modification is to make sure that SASSA applies all of the totally different database checks, together with the checking account earnings checks earlier than making the choice to approve or decline the applying.
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“The Department also wishes to remind applicants that, as in the previous dispensation, they must submit an appeal in each month for which they have been declined. However, the appeal is now lodged directly with the Appeals Tribunal and no longer with SASSA,” she mentioned.
The new web site for appeals is HERE.
“In conclusion, the Department wishes to reiterate the request for all stakeholders to take this opportunity and submit comments on the draft regulations, to ensure that the most vulnerable individuals can benefit from the SRD grant.”
