Joint Statement: Extend and increase special grants to prevent a humanitarian crisis

A joint statement by civil society organizations calling for the extension and increase of the R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) and Caregivers grants to R585 per month in South Africa. The document argues that terminating these grants at the end of October would plunge approximately 6.8 million people below the food poverty line, exacerbating an existing economic and inequality crisis.

• Civil society demands the extension of the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) and Caregivers grants until the end of the financial year (March 2021), with an increase in the monthly amount to R585 to match the Food Poverty Line.
• The termination of these relief measures at the end of October is projected to cause a humanitarian crisis, potentially pushing approximately 6.8 million people below the food poverty line.
• The estimated cost to extend the SRD and Caregiver grants at R585 per month for 5.6 million and 7.1 million recipients respectively is R37 billion.
• The SRD grant has been hindered by administrative failures from the Department of Social Development and SASSA, including corruption, payment glitches, and exclusionary online application processes based on outdated databases.
• The pandemic has worsened South Africa's status as the most unequal country in the world, with the gender wage gap doubling for poorer workers during the Covid period.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). Joint Statement: Extend and increase special grants to prevent a humanitarian crisis. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-STATEMENT_-EXTENSION-OF-GRANTS-TO-AVOID-HUMANITARIAN-CRISIS-1.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Joint Statement: Extend and increase special grants to prevent a humanitarian crisis. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-STATEMENT_-EXTENSION-OF-GRANTS-TO-AVOID-HUMANITARIAN-CRISIS-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Joint Statement: Extend and increase special grants to prevent a humanitarian crisis |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-STATEMENT_-EXTENSION-OF-GRANTS-TO-AVOID-HUMANITARIAN-CRISIS-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjusticendjoint, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Joint Statement: Extend and increase special grants to prevent a humanitarian crisis}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-STATEMENT_-EXTENSION-OF-GRANTS-TO-AVOID-HUMANITARIAN-CRISIS-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }