Beneficiaries of the R350 Covid-19 social relief of distress grant have been given another lifeline following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to extend the grant by a further three months.
The grant ended at the end of January.
Delivering the state of the nation address on February 11, Ramaphosa said the relief grant has proven to be an effective and efficient short-term measure to reduce the immediate impact on the livelihoods of poor South Africans.
He further extended the Covid-19 TERS benefit until March 15, 2021, only for those sectors that have not been able to operate.
“The conditions of this extension and the sectors to be included will be announced after consultations with social partners at NEDLAC. The National Treasury will work with its partners and stakeholders on improvements to the loan guarantee scheme so that it better addresses the realities of SMMEs and other businesses as they strive to recover. We will work with our social partners to ensure that these and other interventions provide the relief to those who most need it,” Ramaphosa said.
The grant was introduced in May as part of the Covid-19 Relief Fund, which sought to assist unemployed people who were unable to look for employment during lockdown.
Also Read: Organisations support proposed extension of the R350 grant
Also Read: Watch: Community expresses angst over end to Sassa R350 grant
