UBIG Factsheet 12: Drivers and Impacts of Widespread Exclusion from the SRD Grant

This factsheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) examines the systemic failures and high exclusion rates associated with South Africa's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, arguing that narrow targeting and administrative barriers prevent eligible vulnerable individuals from accessing support.

• The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, established in May 2020 as the sole assistance for working-age able-bodied people, has seen its eligibility criteria tighten through a formal means test that is set below poverty thresholds adjusted for inflation. The grant was originally valued at R350, which represented 60% of the food poverty line at that time.
• IEJ research indicates an average monthly exclusion rate of 89.7% for eligible applicants. This widespread exclusion is driven by automated means testing that misidentifies loans, child support, or household transfers as income, digital and linguistic barriers in English-only online applications, and administrative failures where approved grants are delayed or unpaid.
• Systemic inequities disproportionately affect women, rural residents, and people without formal identification or access to digital and financial services. To resolve these issues, the IEJ recommends transitioning to a universal basic income grant, removing restrictive eligibility criteria, increasing verification transparency, and providing non-digital application methods.

APA

iej_admin (2024). UBIG Factsheet 12: Drivers and Impacts of Widespread Exclusion from the SRD Grant. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/ubig-factsheet-12-drivers-and-impacts-of-widespread-exclusion-from-the-srd-grant/

Chicago

iej_admin. UBIG Factsheet 12: Drivers and Impacts of Widespread Exclusion from the SRD Grant. Institute for Economic Justice, 2024. https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/ubig-factsheet-12-drivers-and-impacts-of-widespread-exclusion-from-the-srd-grant/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=iej_admin |title=UBIG Factsheet 12: Drivers and Impacts of Widespread Exclusion from the SRD Grant |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=11 December 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/ubig-factsheet-12-drivers-and-impacts-of-widespread-exclusion-from-the-srd-grant/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{iejadmin2024ubig, author = {iej\_admin}, title = {{UBIG Factsheet 12: Drivers and Impacts of Widespread Exclusion from the SRD Grant}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://iej.org.za/resource/factsheet/ubig-factsheet-12-drivers-and-impacts-of-widespread-exclusion-from-the-srd-grant/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }