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A government-funded monthly payment made to South African citizens who are unable to earn a living for a variety of reasons. There are currently five permanent social relief grants - the old age pension, the child support grant, the foster child grant, the disability grant, and the care dependency grant. To this must be added the temporary social relief of distress (SRD) grant of R350 a month given to destitute people as a result of COVID-19 and now extended until 31st March 2023. The total cost of these grants to the fiscus at the February 2022 budget was R87,6bn or about 60% of non-interest government spending. Obviously, these grants, while preventing many people from entering starvation, are also a form of fiscal stimulation which is helping the South African economy recover from the impact of the pandemic. About 46% of the South African population is reliant on these grants.

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