Mid-Term Budget Speech Brings Good News As R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant Extended for Another Year

• Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the social relief of distress grant would be extended for another year
• The extension forms part of a R66.9 billion spending package for health, education, social services and free basic municipal services
• Godongwane warned that the SRD was not sustainable because it put significant pressure on the public purse

CAPE TOWN - The government has given the social relief of distress (SRD) grant yet another extension.

Finance Minister Enoch Gogongwana announced that the grant would be extended to March 2024 when he delivered his mid-term budget in parliament on Wednesday, 26 October.

This is the second extension of the R350 SRD grant, as Godongwana, in his 2022 budget presentation in February, extended the grant to March 2023, TimesLIVE reported.

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The extension is part of a spending package that has allocated R66.9 billion to be spent on health, education, social services, and free basic municipal services.

The extension also comes amid calls from civil society for the introduction of a basic income grant (BIG) for the vulnerable below the food poverty line.

According to BusinessTech, the extension of the SRD will increase other social grants, like the old age grant and the disability grant.

Treasury has anticipated that the SRD will grow by 8.8% yearly, with a financial implication of R64.9 billion in the 2030/31 financial year.

Treasury's projections cast a cloud over the sustainability of the SRD as a continuation of the grant will seriously impact the public purse.

South Africans react to the extension of the SRD

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South Africans aren't impressed by the extension of the SRD grant claiming R350 isn't much, to begin with.

Here are some comments:

@I_AmRethabile claimed:

"Angithi they're bribing the unemployed for votes."

@fatcat6746 added:

"Quite cheap at that price."

@SabbyMole23 asked:

"And what do they expect the ppl to do with R350? Buy what?"

@HendrickSello2 commented:

"These guys just playing with our minds. He knows when people hear about money, their ears are open."

sonja_krax questioned:

"If you can live off R350 per month then I would understand your excitement. Wow, what happens to the 43 % unemployed people?"

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says Minister of Finance Enoch gondogwana will scrap e-tolls

In another story, Briefly News reported that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi is adamant that the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana will announce the scrapping of e-tolls during his mid-term budget speech.

Lesufi stated that he is confident the minister will permanently close the e-toll chapter.

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Speaking on eNCA, Lesufi stated the Gauteng provincial government has had many robust discussions with the ministry of finance about e-tolls and says they presented their case well.

Source: Briefly News