sassa unemployment 2023-2024

Applications for the R350 special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant are now being accepted by the South African Social Security Agency for unemployed people (Sassa).

Everything you need to know about the process is provided below:

Requirements:

The following requirements must be met by applicants:

they must be at least 18 years old;
unemployed; not receiving any income;
not receiving any social assistance;
not qualifying for unemployment insurance benefits;
not receiving a stipend under the National Student Financial Aid Scheme;
not residing in a facility that is supported by the government.

The following information is required from potential candidates in order to complete their applications:

Identity Number;
Name and Surname as captured in the ID (and initials);
Gender and Disability;
Banking details – Bank name and account number;
Contact details – Cell phone number;
Proof of residential address;

How long is it valid for, and when does it start to pay off?

The first R350 special Social Relief of Distress (SRD) payments under Covid-19 will be given out on May 15.
All South Africans over the age of 18 who are unemployed and do not receive any other government assistance are eligible for the grants, which have a six-month duration and a value of R2,100 each.

Ways to apply:

WhatsApp message to 082 046 8553 (no longer the Department of Health WhatsApp line on 060 012 3456, on which initial tests were conducted)
Email to SRD@sassa.gov.za, which automatically sends back a form to fill in
A USSD code, by dialling *134*7737# from a cell phone

Sassa is due to have a special section on its website, at https://www.sassa.gov.za/Pages/COVID-19_SRD_Grant.aspx

Contact number:

If your application is turned down, it can be because your cell phone number has changed.
One of the fraud prevention strategies used by the payment system is to cross-reference an applicant’s cell phone number against other public databases.
The system will reject an application if a candidate previously provided one mobile phone number to a company like the SA Revenue Service or the Unemployment Insurance Fund and now tries to apply using a different number.

Address:

You must provide address evidence even though you are not required to submit any.

How is it distributed?
The banks from which recipients can choose to withdraw money from ATMs if they don’t have bank accounts are varied.
People without bank accounts will receive money thanks to the large banks’ cash-sending capabilities.
These systems, like eWallet for First National Bank and CashSend for Absa, only require basic information to be sent to a cell phone number in order to withdraw money; no card or other form of identity verification is required.