Minister Lindiwe Zulu provides update on the Child Support Grant Top-Up and COVID-19 SRD

The Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu briefed the media and gave an update on Monday, 11 October, regarding the Child Support Grant Top-Up as well as the R350 covid-19 Social Relief Grant.

Source: GroundUp

Speaking at the briefing in Pretoria, the minster highlighted that Social Development Month, which is observed in October, is being commemorated under the theme “United in the fight against poverty and other Social ills.

Zulu spoke about the activities that the Social Development portfolio will engage on various community outreach programmes that will be focusing and addressing active ageing, social security and social ills, such as gender-based violence and most importantly substance abuse.

The minister urged that the partnerships of the Social Development portfolio must attend to the increasing issues of mental health due to the covid-19 pandemic worsening the situation and emphasized that the problem of teenage pregnancy needs to be addressed.

She said that close to 16 500 beneficiaries are receiving the Child support Grant Top-up since applications opened in June and encouraged more people to apply. She added that only relatives and guardians caring for orphaned children can apply for and receive the child support grant top-up of R720 per child per month.

The minster then emphasized that the Child Support Grant Top- Up is not a new grant, adding it is available to apply at all SASSA offices. She highlighted that it was crucial to bring to support to the public so they these grants are easily accessible to them.

“It is important to mention that the Child Support Grant Top-Up is not a new grant. The additional R240 to the standard R480 is enabled by a 2015 Cabinet-approved policy. The provisions of this policy enables me as the Minister of Social Development to introduce the higher value child support grant top-up for orphans. As a result, on 01 June 2022, and with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, I introduced the Child Support Grant Top-Up,” she said.

In regards to the R350 Social Relief of distress grant, she said that 7,5 million people are currently receiving the Covid- 19 social relief Covid- 19 grant monthly after its extension in April.

The minister then concluded by saying that the department depends on the public in order to solve the social ills in the country.

“As I conclude, we depend on the members of the media to duly disseminate this important message across the length and breadth of our country so that South Africans know what is coming to their communities this Social Development Month,” she concluded.

 

 

By Lulama Klassen