President Cyril Ramaphosa announced additional food relief and top-ups to existing grants during his address on Tuesday 21 April.
Child support grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R300 in May, and from June to October they will receive an additional R500 each month.
All other grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R250 per month for the next six months.
A special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month for the next six months will be paid to individuals currently unemployed and do not receive any other form of social grant or UIF payment.
The Department of Social Development will issue the requirements needed to access and apply for this funding.
Ramaphosa further stated the government recognises its food distribution capacity is not adequate to meet the huge need that has arisen since the start of the pandemic.
Social relief agency Sassa will within days implement a technology-based solution to roll out food assistance to scale through vouchers and cash transfers
Social Development has also partnered with the Solidarity Fund, NGOs and community-based organisations to distribute 250 000 food parcels across the country over the next two weeks.
