In his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed a major shift in the future of South Africa’s social protection system — signaling that the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant will move from temporary crisis relief to a redesigned, long-term income support model.
The announcement, delivered during SONA 2026, provides new clarity for millions of beneficiaries who have faced annual uncertainty over whether the R370 grant would continue.
For the full speech, read the official SONA 2026 address.
SRD Grant to continue indefinitely
One of the most significant commitments made by the President was the confirmation that the SRD grant will not end in March 2027 as previously budgeted.
“As a transformative instrument to improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people, this grant will be continued.”
Since its introduction during the COVID-19 pandemic, the SRD grant has supported approximately 8 to 9 million unemployed South Africans each month. Previously extended year by year, the grant’s future had remained uncertain beyond the current funding cycle.
Ramaphosa’s statement signals a move toward long-term inclusion of the grant in South Africa’s social security framework.
How this compares to SONA 2025
This is not the first time government has pledged reform of the SRD grant.
In SONA 2025, the administration indicated that the grant could evolve into a more structured form of income support, though without firm timelines or structural detail. For more context on those earlier commitments, see our detailed breakdown of the major SASSA SRD changes proposed in SONA 2025.
What distinguishes the 2026 announcement is the explicit confirmation that:
- The SRD grant will continue beyond March 2027
- A redesign will link support to employment and skills development
- Long-term fiscal inclusion is now being signaled
The shift appears to move policy discussion toward implementation.
A “redesigned” SASSA grant model for 2026
Beyond extending the grant, Ramaphosa announced that 2026 will mark a structural overhaul of how the SRD functions.
“This year, we will redesign the grant to more effectively support livelihoods, skills development, work opportunities and productive activity.”
The redesign suggests a shift away from purely passive income relief toward a model that connects beneficiaries to:
- Skills development programmes
- Employment-seeking support
- Work opportunities
- Livelihood and entrepreneurship pathways
The announcement comes alongside other enforcement and economic reforms outlined in SONA, including the nationwide illegal hiring crackdown.
Will the SRD become conditional?
For the first time, the President explicitly indicated that the redesigned grant may be linked to employment-seeking criteria.
National Treasury has previously supported tying income support to skills programmes and job-search requirements, moving away from earlier discussions around a universal basic income grant.
Earlier this year, uncertainty about the future of the grant sparked public concern — concerns addressed in SASSA’s clarification on SRD ending rumours.
The numbers: Social grants in 2026
Ramaphosa defended the scale and impact of South Africa’s social wage.
Key statistics highlighted:
- More than 28 million South Africans receive some form of social grant.
- The SRD grant currently stands at R370 per month.
- The system has helped reduce food poverty among vulnerable households.
The President previously described the SRD grant as an “essential mechanism for alleviating extreme poverty.”
However, specific funding allocations beyond March 2027 are expected to be clarified during the upcoming Budget Speech.
Mixed reactions
Civil Society Concerns
While the confirmation that the SRD grant will continue brought relief to millions, civil society organisations say the announcement stopped short of meaningful reform.
Human rights group Black Sash warned that extending the grant without increasing its value or removing systemic barriers does little to address deepening poverty levels.
In its response to the 2026 State of the Nation Address, the organisation called on government to provide clear timelines, binding targets, and a transparent funding plan to transform the SRD into a genuine Basic Income Support grant.
Among its key concerns:
- The R370 amount remains well below the food poverty line
- Millions of eligible applicants continue to face bureaucratic exclusion
- New verification and biometric systems risk unfairly disqualifying vulnerable recipients
- Reductions in public employment stimulus funding weaken complementary support programmes
Black Sash argued that a properly designed Basic Income Support grant could stimulate township and rural economies by increasing household spending power and enabling recipients to invest in skills, job searches, and small enterprises.
The #PayTheGrants campaign echoed these concerns, describing the announcement as lacking concrete financial commitments.
“It seems quite unfathomable that there was nothing more concrete than the very vague plan to extend and improve the SRD grant… there is nothing we can celebrate,” said Alfred Moyo of #PayTheGrants.
Activists maintain that without increasing the grant to at least match the food poverty threshold, structural redesign alone will not significantly reduce extreme poverty.
Political reactions
Political parties within and outside the Government of National Unity largely acknowledged the importance of continued social support, but stressed that grants cannot replace economic reform.
Opposition leaders argued that while extending the SRD grant may prevent immediate hardship, long-term poverty reduction depends on:
- Faster economic growth
- Structural labour market reform
- Improved infrastructure performance
- Greater accountability in public spending
address high unemployment.
Some parties also called for stricter oversight to ensure that funds allocated to social protection reach intended beneficiaries without administrative inefficiencies.
Labour federations welcomed the extension but urged government to increase the grant to align with the food poverty line and introduce broader economic stimulus measures to address high unemployment.
Grant reviews and verification changes
As the system evolves, beneficiaries are also facing tighter compliance and review processes.
Recent updates regarding reassessments have raised concerns among pensioners and SRD recipients. SASSA has intensified income verification checks, including cross-referencing beneficiaries’ details with banks, SARS and other government databases to detect undisclosed income or changes in financial status. In some cases, recipients have been flagged for review due to marital status discrepancies, alternative income sources, or administrative mismatches between Home Affairs and SASSA records.
For older persons’ grant beneficiaries, this has meant closer scrutiny of spousal income and asset thresholds. For SRD recipients, even small inflows into bank accounts — sometimes from family support — have triggered temporary suspensions pending review. Beneficiaries are increasingly being required to reconfirm personal details, update banking information, and in certain instances, submit additional documentation to restore payments.
These measures form part of government’s broader effort to tighten fraud controls and improve targeting as discussions continue around long-term income support reform. You can read more about the latest SASSA grant reviews in 2026 and how they may affect payments.
Summary: The future of the SRD Grant
| Feature | 2025 Status | 2026 SONA Announcement |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Temporary (Extended annually) | Indefinite / Permanent signal |
| Focus | Emergency Relief | Skills & Employment Support |
| Beneficiaries | ~9 Million | Continued for 8–9 Million |
| Funding | Budgeted until March 2027 | Long-term inclusion signaled |
What happens next?
While Ramaphosa has signaled long-term commitment, key questions remain:
- Will the grant amount increase?
- What employment-seeking conditions will apply?
- How will the redesign affect current beneficiaries?
- Will funding be permanently built into future budgets?
More details are expected during the 2026 National Budget Speech.
