Minister Lindiwe Zulu Says She Feels for R350 SRD Grant Recipients Who Have Not Been Paid for 2 Months

• Lindiwe Zulu, the Minister of Social Development, stated that she is saddened that there has been a delay in the payouts of the R350 SRD grant
• Zulu stated that the problem is beyond her department's control, however, payments will be made soon
• South Africans are unhappy with the delays and have claimed that every department Zulu runs seems to have issues

JOHANNESBURG - Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu recently stated that she is not happy that the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant recipients have still not received their payments yet.

While she may be pained that payments have been delayed for two months, Zulu says processes still need to be finalised before beneficiaries can be granted their payouts.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has been criticised by civil society groups for not issuing payments to those that need them in time. Sassa and the Social Development Department have been heavily criticised for creating a national crisis, according to TimesLIVE.

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The Black Sash, the Institute for Economic Justice and the Women in Democracy Initiative, issued a statement saying that they were shocked to learn that beneficiaries have not been paid for two months and called the lack of action from Sassa a disgrace.

In a radio interview, Zulu stated that she feels for South Africans who have not received their payouts and explained that the delay was not her department's fault.

South Africans who receive R350 or more from their family members or elsewhere are no longer eligible to receive the SRD grant. The department stated that it was working with financial institutions to verify who now qualifies for the grant, and those processes are the reason for the delay.

During a media briefing on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa assured South Africans that beneficiaries will start receiving their grants this week, reports Fin24. Ramaphosa also stated that beneficiaries will also receive back-pay for the months they did not receive their grants.

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South Africans weigh in

South Africans have called Minister Zulu out and her department for the delay in payments and voiced how unhappy they are.

Here are some comments below:

@Yomosehlakaleba said:

"What pained her, because she has been behaving like this for her ministerial period?"

@mdladlamn said:

"Money is probably sitting with the mafia banks and they earning that interest on US Bonds."

@Sarah_laubs said:

"I am sure Miss Zulu's R200v000 monthly salary has never been late. #VoetsekANC"

@SandileNhleko7 said:

"Every department she ever runs always has problems."

@K_KGETHO said:

"She is lying again."

@Lux707 said:

"From March until now??? I wonder why the ANC criminals fight their factional battles at the expense of SA citizens."

@StoneCreedCeo said:

"Owo, 'pained'... There's no such... She has the power to make this process move faster but she allows people to tell her lies about the non-existent process. Then she reports those lies to the president, who in turn believes her... mxn!"

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South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offers R240 extra grant top up for guardians of orphaned children

Briefly News previously reported that an amount of R240 will be added to grants of the guardians of orphaned children, according to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).

On Wednesday 8 June, the agency said beneficiaries will receive an additional R240 over and above the standard R480.

Applicants are required to produce both the parents’ death certificates and if the child had only one parent, they must produce an affidavit stating that the child's other parent’s whereabouts are unknown. The addition of the top-up grant is to assist extended family members who care for orphaned children, according to a post shared on Twitter.

Source: Briefly News