Every month, millions of South Africans receive R370 from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). It is the country’s smallest grant, and for many, it is the only income they have.
Wendy Komape is one of them. When she recently won R2 000 after completing a reader survey run by The South African, most people would be excited. Komape’s was something more telling.
“This prize will really help ease some of that pressure by allowing me to cover urgent needs that I have been struggling to meet,” she said.
Not a holiday. Not a treat. Urgent needs she had been struggling to meet, on a SASSA grant that works out to roughly R12.33 a day.
What SASSA SRD R370 actually has to cover
Ask any Social Relief of Distress grant (SRD) recipient what the grant covers, and the answer is the same: everything, and never enough. Food, transport to look for work, electricity, and basic household items all have to come from the same pot, one that has not kept pace with inflation.
“Daily life can be very challenging because the grant often has to stretch across many basic needs like food, transport, and household essentials. Prices keep going up, which makes it even harder to manage everything within the limited amount, ” Wendy Komape, SRD R370 grant recipient.
The SRD grant was introduced as a temporary Covid-19 relief measure in 2020 and has been extended repeatedly, most recently to March 2026. It started at R350 and was increased to R370 in April 2024, a R20 rise in three years, against cumulative food inflation that has far outpaced it.
For Komape, the R2 000 prize does not represent luxury. It represents breathing room, something the grant alone has never provided.
The weight a windfall reveals
Komape entered The South African’s reader survey on a whim. “I participated because it was simple, quick, and I thought I might as well try my luck,” she said. She expected nothing. When the notification arrived, she had to read it several times.
“My first reaction was pure shock and disbelief. It really came at a time when I needed it most.”
What makes her story newsworthy is not the win itself, but what the win immediately became. The moment R2 000 landed, it was already allocated. That is what life on SASSA R370 a month looks like: no buffer, no savings, no margin for anything unexpected.
“It means a lot to my family and me. It brings immediate relief and takes away some of the stress we have been carrying,” said Komape.
“More support must be created”
Komape is not asking for sympathy. She is asking for structural change and she used her moment in the spotlight to say so clearly.
“More support and opportunities should be created for people who rely on grants, especially in terms of jobs, skills training, and cost of living support,” she said.
“Many people are doing their best with very limited resources, and even small opportunities can make a big difference in improving their lives.”
