By Anita Dangazele
- The R370 Social Relief of Distress grant launched in 2020 as a six-month Covid-19 emergency measure and has been extended every year since, with only a R20 increase in that time.
- A basic food basket for a low-income family cost R5,479.26 in May 2026, according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, while the full monthly grant is R370.
Today is the 25th. For most working South Africans, that means a salary. For 8.5 million people, it means waiting until the end of the month for R370.
That grant was never meant to last this long. The government introduced the Social Relief of Distress grant in May 2020 as a six-month emergency measure during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was set at R350. Six years on, it is still running. The amount has increased once, by R20.
In those six years, the cost of living has not stood still. Electricity prices increased by about 85% between 2020 and January 2026, according to a commission report cited by the Mail and Guardian. Petrol for 93 unleaded rose from R15.71 per litre before lockdown to R27.95 now. Everything that gets food from a farm to a shelf costs more.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group tracked food prices across Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in May 2026. A basic food basket for a low-income family cost R5,479.26. Civil society organisations including Black Sash and the Institute for Economic Justice say the R370 grant now covers less than 30% of the food poverty line — the minimum a person needs to meet basic nutritional requirements if all income were spent on food.
For someone on the national minimum wage, there is not much more room. After average transport costs of R1,520 and electricity of R1,181.85, a minimum wage worker is left with R1,893.11 for food and everything else. The food basket costs nearly three times that.
The R370 was designed for a different emergency. The emergency changed. The amount did not.
The government has promised a replacement. Acting Social Development Minister Sindi Chikunga told Parliament last week that a new Basic Income Support grant is being prepared to replace the SRD.
The National Treasury has not confirmed whether it can be funded. A decision is expected next month. The current grant runs until March 2027. After that, nothing has been confirmed.
Pictured above: People standing in a queue outside a bank.
Image source: File
