The Msukaligwa Municipality has urged residents in distress to contact the Department of Social Development (DSD) to apply for a Social Relief of Distress grant.

This is a temporary provision of assistance intended for people who are unable to meet their own or their families’ most basic needs.

According to Mr Mandla Zwane, spokesman for the Msukaligwa Municipality, Social Relief of Distress is paid to South African citizens or permanent residents, who have insufficient means and meet one or more of the following criteria:

• The applicant is awaiting payment of an approved social grant
• The applicant has been found medically unfit to undertake remunerative work for a period of fewer than six months
• The breadwinner is deceased and application is made within three months of the date of the death
• No maintenance is received from parent, child or spouse obliged by law to pay maintenance, and the proof is furnished that efforts made to obtain maintenance have been unsuccessful.
• The breadwinner of the person’s family has been admitted to institution funded by the state ( prison, psychiatric hospital, state home for senior citizens)
• The applicant has been affected by a disaster as defined in the Disaster Management Act or Fund Raising Act, 1978
• The person is not receiving assistance from any other organization

“Social Relief of Distress is issued monthly for a maximum of three months. An extension a further three months may be granted in an exceptional case

Applications can be made by calling the following numbers during trading hours which are Monday to Friday, from 7.45am – 4.15pm:

017 811 2108