In 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the unemployment levels in South Africa were very high due to people being forced to leave their jobs in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The unemployment rates increased from 32.5% in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 35.3% in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The government introduced the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant in 2020 to assist those aged between 18 and 59 years old who were unemployed and unable to provide for themselves and their families.
It is said that more than 10.2 million people have benefited from the SRD grant every month, receiving R350 in relief.
The grant has since been extended, even though South Africa is no longer under a National State of Disaster.
Beneficiaries of this grant receive R350 from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) each month to provide for their basic needs.
Sassa’s statistics show that the SRD grant plays an important role in protecting individuals and households against a loss of income.
According to the Agency, the SRD grants were extended to cover projects such as the Zero Hunger campaign which responds to challenges of food insecurity.
Although the levels of food insecurity decreased from 23.6% in 2010 to 21.3% in 2017, the issue remains a priority for the South African government.
