IEJ says SRD grant income assessment is exclusionary
The IEJ emphasised that relying on bank accounts to determine income is not enough.
The Institute of Economic Justice (IEJ) has criticized the Department of Social Development and SASSA's income assessment method for the SRD grants, stating that it is exclusionary. Advocate Jason Brickhill, the IEJ's legal representative, argued that using bank accounts to determine income is insufficient for the department to make conclusions.
He emphasized that the IEJ has never specified the exact amount that should be paid as an SRD grant, but has urged the government to consider the grant's value. IEJ Executive Director Dr Gilad Isaacs pointed out that the issue at hand is not affordability, but rather the government's budget priorities. While Advocate Brickhill accepted the R20 increase in grant amounts as a positive step, he maintained that more could be done to reach the poverty line.
He also pointed out that the SRD budget has never been fully spent since its inception, questioning the justification for the arbitrary exclusion of eligible applicants based on budget and affordability limitations.
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