Thomas Masooa, 25, has relied on the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant for over three years while searching for work in the Free State. He holds a matric certificate but remains unemployed in a province with few job opportunities.
Masooa says SASSA’s system flags ordinary e-wallet and cash-send transactions from relatives or friends as undeclared income, triggering declines and lapsed applications. He wants that policy changed.
“I really hope SASSA will stop declining SRD payments due to simple e-wallets and cash sends because it does not really mean we are working,” Masooa said.
“It is just another help, maybe from a friend or family, meeting SASSA halfway in terms of helping the poor.”
A household stretched to the limit
Masooa lives in a shared family home supporting between three and five dependants. He says the money covers a mix of needs, from food to transport, but consistently runs out before the month ends. He has also gone without food at times. When his application was declined, he had to travel between 5km and 20km to sort it out at a SASSA office, an added cost he can barely afford.
Calling for a bigger grant and better information
Asked to rate SASSA’s service, Masooa described it as adequate, but says the R370 amount itself needs to increase to make a real difference. Unemployment remains his biggest financial concern in a province where jobs are scarce.
He also admitted he did not know what other support programmes he might qualify for, a gap he says leaves many recipients unaware of help that could ease their situation.
South Africa’s unemployment rate sits above 32%, with youth unemployment climbing past 60% in several provinces, a backdrop that leaves recipients like Masooa dependent on grants that are hard to keep and harder to stretch.
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