Social relief of distress is a temporary provision of assistance intended for people in such dire material need that they are unable to meet the most basic needs of themselves or their families.

South African citizens or permanent residents who have insufficient means and meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible for Social Relief of Distress:

• The applicant is expecting payment of a social grant that has been authorized.
• The applicant has been determined medically incapable to perform remunerative work for less than six months.
• The breadwinner has died, and the application is made within three months of his or her death.
• No maintenance is received from a parent, child, or spouse who is legally required to pay maintenance, and documentation that efforts to get maintenance have been futile is provided.
• The breadwinner of that person’s family has been admitted to a state-funded institution (prison, psychiatric hospital, state home for older persons, treatment center for substance abuse, or child and youth care center).
• The applicant has been affected by a disaster as defined by the Disaster Management Act or the Fund Raising Act, both of which were enacted in 1978.
  No other organization or person is assisting the individual.
• Refusing to apply for social relief of distress will result in an undue hardship.