Feedback on Draft Social Relief of Distress grant Manual for the Department of Social Development

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) provides feedback on the draft Procedure Manual for the implementation of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant for the Department of Social Development. The IEJ argues that the draft fails to sufficiently address administrative barriers and accessibility issues, specifically regarding digital exclusion and the onerous nature of monthly verification processes.

• The IEJ identifies significant risks associated with the requirement that SRD-IMG applications be made exclusively through electronic channels, noting that digital exclusion and illiteracy may disproportionately affect applicants. They recommend a concrete commitment to equity and inclusion and caution that the use of algorithms to flag irregularities could reproduce biases.
• The IEJ criticizes the monthly verification process for the SRD-IMG as being 'onerous and intrusive,' arguing that it is administratively expensive for SASSA and increases the risk of erroneous exclusions. They suggest that verification should only occur at the time of application or re-issue.
• The IEJ strongly opposes provisions in Sections 9, 10, and 11 that allow the grant to be suspended, limited, or cancelled based on funding availability. They argue that arbitrary budget caps are unlawful and that the government has a constitutional obligation to finance the grant for all eligible individuals.
• Regarding the means-testing threshold, the IEJ notes the shift to the Food Poverty Line (FPL) but advocates for the threshold to be raised to the Upper Bound Poverty Line (UBPL) to reach all people living in poverty in South Africa. In the long term, they propose transitioning the grant into a Universal Basic Income (UBI) at the UBPL level.
• The IEJ highlights a potential discriminatory barrier regarding payment methods, noting that if payments are only made into bank accounts registered in the recipient's name, it may exclude people—particularly women—who do not have their own accounts. They argue that cash payment provisions must be included.
• The IEJ identifies flaws in the appeal process, specifically the prohibition against appellants submitting new evidence. They argue that new evidence must be allowed if it proves a rejection was based on SASSA errors or outdated databases.
• The IEJ points out contradictions in Section 17 regarding the recovery of incorrectly paid benefits and argues that payments made due to SASSA errors, rather than fraud, should not be recovered to avoid causing hardship to recipients.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). Feedback on Draft Social Relief of Distress grant Manual for the Department of Social Development. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Feedback-on-Draft-Social-Relief-of-Distress-grant-Manual-for-the-Department-of-Social-Development.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Feedback on Draft Social Relief of Distress grant Manual for the Department of Social Development. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Feedback-on-Draft-Social-Relief-of-Distress-grant-Manual-for-the-Department-of-Social-Development.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Feedback on Draft Social Relief of Distress grant Manual for the Department of Social Development |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Feedback-on-Draft-Social-Relief-of-Distress-grant-Manual-for-the-Department-of-Social-Development.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjusticendfeedback, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Feedback on Draft Social Relief of Distress grant Manual for the Department of Social Development}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Feedback-on-Draft-Social-Relief-of-Distress-grant-Manual-for-the-Department-of-Social-Development.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }