Extension of R350 grant must not benefit a single government employee

13 February 2021

Yesterday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) submitted a number of written Parliamentary questions to the Ministers of Social Development (DSD) and Public Service and Administration (DPSA) in relation to the steps taken by both departments to ensure that no government employee fraudulently applies for and receives the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. 

The submission of these written questions comes on the back of Thursday evening’s announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his annual SONA address, that the SRD grant will, again, be providing some much-needed short term relief to the most vulnerable and distressed members of our society against the devastating socio-economic effects of the pandemic.

In September 2020, Minister Lindiwe Zulu  confirmed to Parliament that some government employees may have possibly applied for the SRD grant. Moreover, reports from the Office of the Auditor General on the financial management of government’s unprecedented billion Rand Covid-19 socio-economic relief package revealed that there were questionable and underserving beneficiaries receiving the SRD grant including government employees despite the SRD grant being intended to benefit only the most vulnerable and distressed members of our society.

In light of these revelations, the DA’s Parliamentary questions seeks answers to the following: 

Whether the DSD and DPSA have been able to conclusively establish the number of government employees that have fraudulently applied for the SRD grant? 

How many of government employees actually received the SRD grant?

How much money did the implicated government employees receive, in total, in terms of the SRD grant?

Whether the departments took disciplinary or legal steps against the implicated government employees and if any steps have been taken to recover these monies from the implicated government employees?

Whether systems have been put in place aimed at ensuring that no government employee fraudulently and unlawfully applies for and receives the SRD grant?

While the DA welcomes the extension of the SRD grant for a further 3 months, we do, however, also urgently call on Ministers Zulu and Senzo Mchunu to ensure that no single government employee, earning or drawing a salary from state coffers, fraudulently and unlawfully applies for and receives the SRD grant.

Issued by Mimmy Gondwe, DA Shadow Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration, 13 February 2021