National scandal unfolds as it is revealed that government has failed to pay a single SRD grant in April and May 2022

A press statement by the Institute for Economic Justice and other civil society organizations denouncing the South African government's failure to pay Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants in April and May 2022, citing administrative chaos and restrictive new eligibility criteria.

• The South African government failed to pay any Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants during April and May 2022, affecting approximately 11 million previous beneficiaries and withholding an estimated R 8 billion from impoverished citizens.
• New regulations introduced on 22 April 2022 significantly tightened eligibility by lowering the monthly income threshold from R595 to R350, meaning applicants are only approved if their monthly income, including family assistance, is below R350.
• The Minister of Social Development attributed the tightened criteria to underfunding by the National Treasury; while 13.4 million people have no income and 18.3 million live below the food poverty line, the budget only provides for 10.5 million recipients.
• Payment delays were exacerbated by the National Treasury's failure to secure agreements with banks for the verification of applicants' means, as well as the decision to stop payments via the Post Office, which potentially affects 400,000 to 500,000 rural beneficiaries.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2022). National scandal unfolds as it is revealed that government has failed to pay a single SRD grant in April and May 2022. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/press-statement-national-scandal-unfolds-as-it-is-revealed-that-government-has-failed-to-pay-a-single-srd-grant-in-april-and-may-2022/

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. National scandal unfolds as it is revealed that government has failed to pay a single SRD grant in April and May 2022. 2022. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/press-statement-national-scandal-unfolds-as-it-is-revealed-that-government-has-failed-to-pay-a-single-srd-grant-in-april-and-may-2022/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=National scandal unfolds as it is revealed that government has failed to pay a single SRD grant in April and May 2022 |date=8 June 2022 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/press-statement-national-scandal-unfolds-as-it-is-revealed-that-government-has-failed-to-pay-a-single-srd-grant-in-april-and-may-2022/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2022national, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{National scandal unfolds as it is revealed that government has failed to pay a single SRD grant in April and May 2022}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/press-statement-national-scandal-unfolds-as-it-is-revealed-that-government-has-failed-to-pay-a-single-srd-grant-in-april-and-may-2022/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }