President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that a redesigned R370 social relief of distress (SRD) grant will help unemployed South Africans search for jobs and sustain their livelihoods while government pursues structural reforms to boost economic growth .
Speaking at the News24 “On the Record” Summit in Cape Town on Thursday, Ramaphosa said government is expanding support for the unemployed to sustain productive livelihoods .
“We must continue to strengthen our social protection system to reach all unemployed South Africans with a basic level of support,” he said. “By redesigning the social relief of distress grant, we will ensure that those receiving the grant have access to a wide range of support to search for work and to sustain a livelihood” .
Transition to Basic Income Support
The redesigned grant follows the President’s confirmation at the State of the Nation Address that government would redesign the SRD grant, first introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Since at least 2024, the Department of Social Development has been holding consultations on turning the SRD grant into a Basic Income Support (BIS) grant .
In a recent parliamentary reply, Social Development Minister Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe said the Presidency and DSD had reviewed the draft BIS policy and were set to finalise consultations during March 2026 .
Employment and Empowerment Focus
Tolashe emphasised that linking beneficiaries aged 18 to 59 with employment, training and enterprise opportunities is essential to transform grants from instruments of survival into tools of empowerment .
“Evidence suggests that when beneficiaries are linked to economic opportunities, they are better able to leverage social assistance to improve their livelihoods,” she said .
Grant Extension
The minister did not indicate when government will eventually implement the BIS grant . Meanwhile, the current SRD grant will run for another year until March 2027 .
The SRD grant currently supports approximately 9.4 million unemployed South Africans aged 18 to 59 who have no other source of income . Government has committed R40.4 billion to the grant for the 2026/27 financial year .
