Getting the R350 Covid-19 grant is a daily struggle

The social relief of distress grant was stopped at the end of April, but queues at post offices speak of the desperation of those still waiting for the pay out

19 May 2021 - 09:20
By isaac mahlangu AND Isaac Mahlangu
Mashiane Phooko and Nare Sijeng of Tembisa are among thousands of people who are desperate to receive their R350 social relief distress grant payment.
Image: THULANI MBELE Mashiane Phooko and Nare Sijeng of Tembisa are among thousands of people who are desperate to receive their R350 social relief distress grant payment.

It is just before lunch time outside the Lyttelton post office in Centurion, Tshwane, where more than two dozen people are standing in a queue under the scorching sun.

After queuing for hours to receive the R350 social relief of distress grant, the desperate and poor who rely on the money to put food on the table were told they would not receive their grants because the facility had ran out money. 

The message was met with rage as this meant many would have to borrow taxi fare to travel to the post office to try their luck on another day. It was a message that spelt doom for some of the desperate beneficiaries.  

“Why doesn’t the post office ensure that there’s enough money? What should we do now because we can’t go back home without the grant money?” they asked a woman from the post office who delivered the bad news.

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