The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has issued a clarification on the qualification criteria for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, dismissing misinformation circulating on social media.
In a statement released on Monday, 19 January 2026, SASSA CEO Themba Matlou stressed that no changes have been made to the grant’s eligibility requirements, and that claims suggesting foreign nationals were newly allowed to access the SRD grant, or that revisions were announced in recent budget speeches, are false.+View more details
SASSA said the 2022 regulations remain in force, with the SRD grant available to South African citizens and permanent residents, refugees, holders of special permits under the Special Angolan Dispensation, Lesotho Exemption Permit or Zimbabwe Exemption Permit, as well as asylum seekers with valid Section 22 permits or visas.
All applicants must be registered on the Department of Home Affairs database or on SASSA’s system with a unique identifier, be between the ages of 18 and 60, reside in South Africa, not live in a government-funded institution, and must not unreasonably refuse employment or educational opportunities.
The agency revealed that as of 1 January 2026, it had received 14 135 SRD applications from permanent residents, refugees and special permit holders, approving 8 368 of them, read more details>> with 2 690 beneficiaries already paid.
SASSA urged the public to verify information through official channels before sharing it, warning that misinformation about the grant’s future and eligibility could create unnecessary public anxiety, a concern echoed by the Department of Social Development.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
