‘For some it was cut off’: KZN caregiver questions how SASSA decides who keeps grant support

Getrude Tshandu has nothing bad to say about how SASSA pays her. What she wants to know is how SASSA decides who keeps getting help.

The KwaZulu-Natal resident has received the Child Support Grant for more than five years. She shared her experience with The South African through our SASSA grant survey.

Reliable Grant payments, empty pockets

She said her grant has been straightforward from the start, with no problems, and rated SASSA’s communication with recipients as very good.

The money goes mainly towards school fees and her children’s needs. Tshandu rents privately and supports one to two dependants. She said her grant does not cover her basic needs and that she regularly struggles to make ends meet. By month end, nothing is left.

Even so, she has kept food on the table. She confirmed that no one in her household went without food in the past month.

Job hunt takes priority

Tshandu is unemployed and looking for work. She named unemployment as her biggest financial concern.

She has experience in admin and office work and is willing to relocate for the right job. That willingness shows how far many grant recipients will go for a steady income.

Tshandu has also tried to get extra government support beyond her grant, but she said she was declined or gave up during the process.

A question about fairness

That experience shaped the comment she shared with The South African. Tshandu wants to know why some people lost the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant while others kept receiving it.

“My comment will be based on why do other people get to be cut of from the R370 grant while others still receive the money, even those who gets it for children they still receive the money but for some it was cut off why is that,” she said.

Her question reflects confusion many South Africans have voiced about SRD grant approvals and cancellations. Some households report losing the grant without a clear explanation, while others in similar circumstances keep receiving it.

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