First payments for SASSA relief grant made

 Sassa has made the first payments of the government’s social relief of distress R350 grant. Sassa says it received 8 931 375 applications from all nine provinces, 41% of whom were men and 59% women.

Further disbursements to applicants are set to continue over the next few days. Applications for this social relief of distress opened on August 6. The grant is set to benefit unemployed citizens, most of whom lost their jobs during the hard lockdown.

To avoid overcrowding at post offices during payment of approved recipients, a joint strategy was put in place by Sassa and the SA Post Office, where the last three digits of approved beneficiaries’ identity numbers will be used for payment collection on a specific day of the week.

Applicants who have been approved are urged to first wait for an SMS confirming that the grant is available before approaching the post office.

By Danielle Mentoor