Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu has extended the dates for South Africa’s disability and social relief grants.

In a gazette published on Monday (2 November), Zulu said that the temporary disability grants which lapsed in July 2020. or are due to lapse during the months of August to December 2020, will not lapse until the end of 31 December 2020 and must continue to be paid until 31 December 2020.

In the same directive, Zulu extended the special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 per month until 31 January.

The grant is open to applicants who are not beneficiaries of any other form of social security grant or UIF payment and are not currently receiving income.

Delivering the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in parliament on Wednesday, finance minister Tito Mboweni said the Covid-19 grant would be extended but top-ups to social grants would come to an end at the end of November.

Child Support Grant (CSG) beneficiaries received an extra R300 in May and R500 between June and October, while other grant beneficiaries were topped-up with R250 for six months.

The top-up grant was government’s temporary relief against food insecurity and to cushion households severely battered by the pandemic.

The Social Development Department is among government’s key implementers of the social relief and economic support package, to the value of R500 billion, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the early stages of the outbreak.

Source: BusinessTech