Buanews has reported that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will from next month accept social grant applications from eligible applicants who are experiencing difficulty in obtaining official identity documents (ID) and birth certificates.
The announcement was made by Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, following a meeting of social development MECs in the North West.
The minister said SASSA will accept the applications as from 1 June, 2008 coinciding with International Children’s Day.
As stipulated in the regulations of 2005, SASSA will accept sworn affidavits deposed before a commissioner of oaths testifying to, amongst other details, the names, age, parentage of the child and any other applicant. Although this policy shift was initially designed to accommodate applicants for the Child Support Grant, the Department of Social Development has made a policy decision to extend its implementation to all grant types.
“The IT systems of SASSA will be ready to accept applications from 1 June this year."
“People who apply before 1 June will be able to receive social relief of distress [SRD], while waiting for 1 June starting date,” the minister said.
The value of the social relief of distress would be the same as the value of the benefit for which an applicant may apply, and leave him/her in the same position he/she would have been had they applied for the grant with a valid ID document. The social relief of distress will be in the form of a cash amount.
The benefit will be for people who apply for the child support, care dependency and foster care grants, provided they meet the eligibility and means test criteria. The relief envisaged will be given to people awaiting an ID document or birth certificate and those pleading that poverty prevents them from applying for such identification documents and as a consequence prevents them from accessing social security, while they may qualify for such.
“If applicants apply today, they will get social relief of distress, but within a month, we will be able to covert it to a full application and register the application as such and continue providing the benefit for as long as the eligibility criteria are met.
“We will however work with the applicant and the Department of Home Affairs to expedite the processing of applications for identity documents,” explained Fezile Makiwane, CEO of SASSA.
The minister said that as the department intensified efforts to eradicate poverty, government would review the means test for the Child Support Grant and it would no longer distinguish the means test threshold between rural or urban beneficiaries.
“This will gradually be applied to other grant types. Details of the commencement of this will be elaborated on in my budget vote speech on the 30 May 2008,” the minister said.
The announcement was made by Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, following a meeting of social development MECs in the North West.
The minister said SASSA will accept the applications as from 1 June, 2008 coinciding with International Children’s Day.
As stipulated in the regulations of 2005, SASSA will accept sworn affidavits deposed before a commissioner of oaths testifying to, amongst other details, the names, age, parentage of the child and any other applicant. Although this policy shift was initially designed to accommodate applicants for the Child Support Grant, the Department of Social Development has made a policy decision to extend its implementation to all grant types.
“The IT systems of SASSA will be ready to accept applications from 1 June this year."
“People who apply before 1 June will be able to receive social relief of distress [SRD], while waiting for 1 June starting date,” the minister said.
The value of the social relief of distress would be the same as the value of the benefit for which an applicant may apply, and leave him/her in the same position he/she would have been had they applied for the grant with a valid ID document. The social relief of distress will be in the form of a cash amount.
The benefit will be for people who apply for the child support, care dependency and foster care grants, provided they meet the eligibility and means test criteria. The relief envisaged will be given to people awaiting an ID document or birth certificate and those pleading that poverty prevents them from applying for such identification documents and as a consequence prevents them from accessing social security, while they may qualify for such.
“If applicants apply today, they will get social relief of distress, but within a month, we will be able to covert it to a full application and register the application as such and continue providing the benefit for as long as the eligibility criteria are met.
“We will however work with the applicant and the Department of Home Affairs to expedite the processing of applications for identity documents,” explained Fezile Makiwane, CEO of SASSA.
The minister said that as the department intensified efforts to eradicate poverty, government would review the means test for the Child Support Grant and it would no longer distinguish the means test threshold between rural or urban beneficiaries.
“This will gradually be applied to other grant types. Details of the commencement of this will be elaborated on in my budget vote speech on the 30 May 2008,” the minister said.
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