The Department of Social Development has appealed for more time to investigate safety vulnerabilities in the disbursement of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants. Minister Sisisi Tolashe provided an update on the outcomes of an independent investigation that was launched, after two Stellenbosch University Students Joel Cedras and Veer Gosai flagged the lapse in security system of the grants. The students’ uncovered that fraudsters were benefiting from the grant unlawfully through identity theft amongst others. During a briefing in Cape Town, Tolashe confirmed the allegations presented by Cedras and Gosai, and announced the appeal for more time beyond the 30 days that was allocated to delve into the matter. “The investigation is not yet conclusive for us to be able to say how many IDs were stolen, how much money did we lose. Hence, we went to Parliament before the portfolio committee, and requested an extension so that we can dig deeper and get to know those fundamental issues,” said Tolashe The R350 grant which is a means of survival for about 17 million citizens, was introduced to alleviate pressure on marginalised groups during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this year’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana set aside an additional R2.7 billion from the main budget towards the grant. Moreover, Tolashe added that a more in-depth probe will determine whether or not any government officials were involved in fraudulent activities. “If there’s anywhere or any time that people have dropped the ball, surely consequence management must be employed. We’re dealing with limited resources that South Africa has in making sure that they deal with poverty eradication,” indicated the minister. The minister also promised transparency once investigations have been fully concluded.
