Last Week, SERI and The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) made a submission to the Department of Social Development (DSD) on amendments to the Regulations relating to Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant.
The process of amending the Regulations provides an opportunity to address key areas of concern which have been raised repeatedly by civil society, including the exclusion of large numbers of beneficiaries, the imposition of a low means test, and the continued inadequate level of the grant. However, aside from the expiry date, no other aspects of the Regulations have been amended. This is deeply concerning, given that specific provisions in the Regulations have led to very high levels of exclusion, and that the value of the grant continues to be eroded, and highly inadequate. Our submission details these areas of concern and provides key recommendations to address exclusion and unfairness. Among others the submission addresses;
- Amended end date
- Value of the grant
- The use of bank verification to determine eligibility
- Income eligibility threshold
- Online-only applications
- The removal of the South African Post Office (SAPO) as a means of accessing payment
Our submission discusses these flaws and injustices at length, and puts forward a series of recommendations for the improvement of the Regulations and administration of the SRD grant.