Jean Pieterse, a Western Cape man, says the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is not enough to keep food on his family’s table. Pieterse has received the SRD grant for between three and five years and shared his story in The South African’s SASSA grant survey.
His household has gone without food in the past month, despite the grant arriving each month.
SRD grant runs out before month-end
Pieterse spends his entire grant on food and groceries. Even so, he regularly struggles to make ends meet and runs out of money before the month ends.
When asked what he would say about SASSA grants, Pieterse did not hold back.
“Give more money to the people,” he said.
If he could change one thing about SASSA, he would increase the grant amount.
Job seeker battles unemployment and grant problems
Unemployment remains Pieterse’s biggest financial concern. He is actively looking for work and has experience in retail and customer service.
Alongside his job search, Pieterse has faced problems with the grant itself. He lists payment delays and issues with his SASSA card among his biggest challenges. He has also dealt with a declined or lapsed application and says he struggled to understand why it was rejected.
He has not applied for additional government support, explaining that he did not qualify for anything else.
Poor communication adds to the frustration
Pieterse rates SASSA’s communication with recipients as poor. For grant recipients already stretching every rand, unclear information about payments and application outcomes adds another layer of stress.
His experience reflects the reality facing many SRD grant recipients who rely on the grant as a lifeline while searching for work in a tough job market. For Pieterse, the message to government is simple: the support needs to go further.
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