Blog & News Updates
News, guides, and expert analysis on South African grants and funding programmes.
Is the R370 SRD Grant Coming to an End? The Truth Behind the Viral Facebook Posts About the High Court Case
Facebook posts saying "R370 uyapheliswa" are convincing people the grant is ending because of a court case. It is not. Here is what the High Court actually ruled, the real R370 timeline, and how to spot the scam links piggybacking on the panic.
Read Full ArticleSRD Grant Battle Reaches the Supreme Court of Appeal: What the State Is Fighting and What It Means for Applicants Right Now
The state has escalated the SRD regulations dispute to the Supreme Court of Appeal, contesting a Gauteng High Court judgment that struck down four pillars of the 2023 SRD rules: online-only applications, the frozen R624 means-test threshold, the no-new-evidence appeals restriction, and SASSA's chronic payment delays. Nothing changes for beneficiaries during the appeal, but the eventual ruling reshapes the entire Livelihoods Grant successor.
SASSA Confirms Final SRD Payment Dates for August 2026: 24-26 Aug, and Launches a New WhatsApp Self-Service Number
SASSA has confirmed the final COVID-19 SRD payment window for August 2026 as 24, 25 and 26 August. On the same notice it launched a dedicated WhatsApp self-service channel on 082 601 0111, separate from the older 082 046 8553 line. What the channel does, how to use it in three messages, and the exact escalation sequence if your payment does not clear by the end of the window.
High Court Ruling Could Push SRD to R450 and Extend It to 18 Million People
A Pretoria High Court ruling on the SRD regulations could open the grant to roughly 18 million people, up from 8.3 million today, and push the monthly amount from R370 to about R450 in line with the food poverty line. Treasury warns the change would add R93.5 billion a year to social spending. R370 continues while government decides whether to appeal, comply, or fold changes into the Livelihoods Grant on 1 April 2027.
Postbank Gold Card Final Swap Deadline: Q3 2026 Enforcement Kicks In
Roughly 310,000 SASSA beneficiaries still hold Gold Cards heading into Q3 2026. Postbank has moved from voluntary swap to enforcement: soft ATM blocks from 1 October, retail POS blocks from 1 November, full deactivation on 31 December. Here is the province-by-province backlog, the 10-minute swap process, and the scams already circulating around the deadline.
Two-Pot Retirement 2026 Mid-Year: Withdrawals, Tax and the Common Mistakes
By 30 June 2026 pension funds paid out R66 billion across 3.1 million two-pot claims. The 2026/27 rejection rate is up to 11.8 percent because SARS tightened tax directive rules on 1 April. The three mistakes now dominating rejections: tax non-compliance, bank name mismatch, and splitting claims across funds. Plus the marginal PAYE tax table so you know what will actually land in your account.
Home Affairs Smart ID at Banks 2026: Full Branch List and Booking Guide
Home Affairs bank branch service now runs at 428 branches across Standard Bank, FNB, ABSA, Nedbank, Discovery and Investec. Fees, wait times, booking via eHomeAffairs, and the one first-time application killer that catches most married applicants: a Home Affairs marital status mismatch.
NSFAS 2026 Appeals: The 30-Day Window Between a Provisional Decline and Losing the Year
NSFAS provisionally declined roughly 118,000 first-time applicants in the 2026 cycle. The appeal window is 30 days from the decline SMS, not from when you read the portal. The four grounds that actually win an appeal, the documents to attach, and the timing that keeps you registered while the appeal is pending.
CASP 2026 Mid-Year: Why 3 in 5 Approved Farmers Never Reach Tranche 2
CASP approved 6,412 smallholder projects in the 2026 first tranche. By 30 June, only 39% had drawn tranche 2. The blocker is not fraud, it is a mid-year Compliance and Progress Report most farmers do not know is due. Here are the five items on that report and how to unblock the second payment.
NSFAS 2027 Applications Open: What Changed for First-Year and Continuing Students
Applications open 1 September 2026 and close 21 January 2027. The N+2 rule now covers TVET students, the direct payment model becomes the default, and the mandatory consent form for Home Affairs and SARS data checks is new for first-time applicants. Here is what to prepare before the portal goes live.
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- SEDFA Is Now Live: How the SEFA + SEDA Merger Changes Your SMME Funding Application in 2026