SASSA has received over 3.5 million applications in less than a week

Millions of South Africans have filed for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant – also known as the R350 grant – from the South African Social Security Agency since the application period opened on Friday, August 6. (SASSA).

The application system was overwhelmed by user traffic on the official channels, and thousands of people were frustrated by incomplete submissions, causing the agency to build even more platforms for applicants. SASSA also reminded applicants multiple times that they had the entire month of August to register for the funding.

Lindiwe Zulu, the minister of social development, announced on Monday that eligible applicants will receive their first payments in the last week of August.

Applicants must be unemployed and not receiving any sort of government support such as social assistance, unemployment insurance, or Covid-19 response help.

The prize has been reintroduced to assist unemployed youth and those affected by the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Sassa has implemented strict procedures to ensure that the money reaches people who need it the most.

It will cross-check applicants' information against various databases, including the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and the pension funds of government employees.

“Banks will be involved in the verification procedure. Sassa will keep a tight eye on the system. We will deal with anyone attempting to loot the system in collaboration with law enforcement agencies,” Sassa stated.

On the first day of applications, the process stalled as systems dealt with a surge of queries.

“This is a powerful indicator of the country's tremendous need for food help, among other things, and President Cyril Ramaphosa could not have resumed the grant at a better time,” said Sassa CEO Busisiwe Memela-Khambula.

The agency has announced the opening of a USSD channel to aid with the application process.

“These channels have straightforward processes to follow, and there is less red tape because applicants no longer need to upload any documents,” Sassa explained.