Lindiwe Zulu Says R350 Grant Proves Govt Continues to Protect Citizens As Ramaphosa Gives Another Extension

• The Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu prised the provision of the SRD grant during her Sona debate speech
• Zulu claimed the grant proves that the government is committed to protecting South Africans from socioeconomic shocks
• The SRD grant has come under fire for being inadequate to survive on and for inconsistent payouts

CAPE TOWN - Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says the continued provision of the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant is proof that government stands ready to protect South Africans.

Minister Zulu was delivering her State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate speech at Cape Town City Hall on Wednesday, 15 February.

In her speech, Zulu claimed that the SRD grant that has its origins in the Covid-19 pandemic is an example of how the ANC-led government endeavoured to shield citizens from economic, health, social, climate change and similar shocks.

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However, the grant has come under fire for inconsistent payments and, most recently, how the amount of R350 is not enough for beneficiaries to survive on.

During the Sona debate on Tuesday, 14 February, Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema called for the SRD grant to be increased because no child or person can thrive on R350 or R450 a month.

Though Zulu did not address increasing the amount dispersed to recipients, the minister did address the challenges faced by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). During a parliamentary briefing, Zulu admitted that while between 7.4 and 7.8 million people were approved for the grant, the proportion of people who get the payouts has declined from 85%, Daily Maverick reported.

South Africans slam the R350 SRD grant

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Citizens took to complain about various issues regarding the SRD grant.

Below are some comments:

@MbulaziSa

"ANC loves it when South Africans are dependent on them, this R350 is really a joke."

@NtwelengMokaba1

"Lies, deserving people don't even get a cent."

@soscydonda complained:

"My cousin last received his in October 2022. They always say it was declined due to other sources of income lapho he doesn't work, has no investments, nothing at all."

@SOS4ZN speculated:

"We'll never know how many of the 8 million grants were paid to employed ANC family and friends while those who really need it go to bed hungry!"

@TshepoNonyane12 claimed:

"These guys are the biggest lairs, who is getting paid the SRD grand because all of us have been declined since look last year."

Sona debate: Julius Malema slams R350 grant extension, says dependence on grants doesn’t eliminate poverty

Earlier, Briefly News reported that the extension of the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant has left a sour taste in Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema's mouth.

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The EFF leader expressed his displeasure with Ramaphosa adding another year to the roll-out of the grant that originated in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malema said that the fact that almost 20 million South Africans depend on social grants to survive should not be celebrated, given that grants do not eradicate poverty, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News