In order to avoid long lines and being turned away without assistance, SASSA has advised beneficiaries not to rush to collection points when they receive their payment SMS.

SASSA provides grants to poor or vulnerable South Africans.

The application period for the Special Relief of Distress grant, which paid R350 per month to beneficiaries, ended on April 30. However, SASSA has stated that if you do not collect your R350 grant by April 30th, you will be able to do so later.

Appeals for the R350 grant can be submitted until May 31. This would provide applicants who were unfairly rejected with a second chance to qualify for the grant.

Payments are made beginning with the month in which you applied or submitted your appeal, so payments may not have stopped on April 30. Due to payment backlogs at the agency, SASSA has not stated when the grant payments will end.

SASSA was established in 2005 to oversee social grant distribution on behalf of the Department of Social Development. This was done to improve the country’s living standards, and it is distributed to people who are at risk of poverty and/or in need of government assistance.

SASSA is responsible for administering the Care Dependency Grant, Child Support Grant, Disability Grant, Foster Child Grant, Old Persons Grant, War Veteran’s Grant, Grant-In-Aid, and the well-known Social Relief Of Distress Grant.