The Department of Social Development DSD, South African Social Security Agency SASSA and National Treasury have appealed a high court ruling that declared several regulations governing the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress SRD grant unconstitutional.
In January last year, the high court in Pretoria ruled that several SRD regulations unlawfully limited access to the grant, including the online-only application system, the R624 monthly income threshold and the grants value. Judge Leonard Twala ordered the government to progressively increase both the grant amount and the income threshold to keep pace with inflation and the cost of living, and that gifts and once-off payments be excluded when assessing applicants income.
