Tens of thousands of people struggling to receive the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant have taken the government to court, challenging regulations that "unlawfully and unconstitutionally" exclude the poor. The joint lawsuit has been launched by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), #PayTheGrants movement, and Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI). The SRD grant was implemented in March 2020 to support individuals adversely affected by the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, about 10.9 million people received the grant. However, the number has dwindled, with only 8.4 million approved and 7.1 million people actually being paid. Over 93% of grant recipients spend their grant on food, negatively affecting the right to food. Government estimates suggest that 18.3 million individuals aged 18 to 59 lived below the food poverty line in South Africa, without access to adequate nutrition. Additionally, 20.4% of households experienced food insecurity, with 20.9% sending a member to beg for food.
The government passed regulations in April 2022, which disqualified many individuals as beneficiaries and kept the grant at R350. The lawsuit sought to challenge these regulations, describing them as a deliberate method to "exclude millions" of people and violating their right to social assistance and food as guaranteed by the Constitution. The papers also noted an "arbitrary exclusion" of qualifying applicants when funds were depleted, a reduction in the grant's value over time, and a "systemic" non-payment of approved beneficiaries.
The IEJ and #PayTheGrants also sought relief in relation to failure to pay timeously the grants. The parties also asked the court to direct the Department of Social Development (DSD) and Sassa to file a report with the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria on steps taken or planned to remedy the deficiencies. Many people relied on the R350 for survival, with Joleen Sampson, Vanessa Reece, Vanessa Reece, and #PayTheGrants (PTG) all claiming the grant is unfair and irrational.
