Covid SRD grant extended pending regulatory amendments

The Department of Social Development (DSD) has confirmed that the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant will be extended for a further 12 months, from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, with the monthly payment remaining at R370.

The extension follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement during the State of the Nation Address that the grant would continue, pending its proposed redesign within the broader social assistance framework.

The current regulatory framework governing the SRD grant expires on 31 March 2026. To operationalise the extension, the Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, is required to publish amendments to the SRD Regulations in the Government Gazette before that date.

According to the department, the purpose of the draft amendments is to “regularise the 12-month extension” and ensure that qualifying beneficiaries continue receiving R370 a month from April 2026 to March 2027.

As with previous renewals, the continuation of the grant is being effected through amendments to regulations issued under existing statutory authority, rather than through permanent primary legislation.

The draft amendments were published on 11 February 2026, triggering a 21-day public comment period. Written submissions from members of the public and interested stakeholders must be lodged within that timeframe to ensure procedural compliance before the current framework lapses.

National Treasury had already budgeted for the SRD grant to run through March 2026 during the 2025 Budget process and made provisional provision for a further year through to March 2027.

The grant currently supports more than eight million beneficiaries.

In addition to confirming the extension, the government has indicated its intention to redesign the SRD grant during 2026. Ramaphosa stated the grant would evolve into a mechanism intended to better support livelihoods, skills development, and access to work opportunities.

National Treasury has previously signalled it is exploring ways to integrate income support with employment pathways, potentially repositioning the grant as a transitional job-seeker support measure rather than a stand-alone cash transfer. No draft legislation or detailed eligibility amendments have yet been published.

For the present, the regulatory amendments are confined to extending the existing framework for a further 12 months. Any structural redesign of the grant will require separate policy development and may require legislative intervention.