Question NW3451 to the Minister of Social Development
27 November 2023 - NW3451
Abrahams, Ms ALA to ask the Minister of Social Development
With reference to her reply to question 1 840 on 15 June 2023, what are the reasons that the applications from 71 314 young adults who aged out of the child support grant and applied for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 were declined?
Reply:
As the Honourable Member is aware, all applications for the COVID-19 SRD Grant are subjected to a means test, without any exceptions. The SRD Grant is targeted at the poor and the unemployed living below the food poverty line of R624. I take it that the Honourable Member is familiar with the eligibility criteria, which was published in the Government Gazette.
The fact that one has applied does not mean that they are automatically eligible. Vigorous checks, including bank validation and income conducted are conducted against various databases such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund to avoid double dipping and to ensure only eligible applicants receive the money.
There are various reasons as to why applications are declined or deemed not eligible, including the ones mentioned in the table below:
TABLE 1: REASONS FOR DECLINING COVID-19 SRD TO YOUNG ADULTS WHO AGED OUT OF THE CSG.
