Social Relief of Distress grant is insufficient to combat SA’s food crisis
Daily Maverick | 22.12.2025 03:55
When Maverick Citizen began tracking the cost of 14 basic food items in 2022, the gap between what it takes to access nutritious food and the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant was already large. The question was, is the grant enough to buy a basket of basic food essentials? Four years later, the answer is: it is not, especially when factoring in the transport costs to access the grant, and beneficiaries spending a portion of it on other necessities, such as airtime and data to apply for jobs.
