Abstract
The South African Constitution, 1996, highlights in section 27 that every citizen has the right to food, water, and social assistance, but given South Africa’s excessively high unemployment rate, poverty, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still people who experience moderate to severe food shortages in their households. In response to these, the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has been identified to be an effective strategy in reducing food insecurity by ensuring that vulnerable people have access to means of survival. A large body of research on the link between food security and the SRD grant has been conducted in South Africa. However, first-hand experiences of SRD grant recipients, specifically in rural food-insecure households, during the COVID19 pandemic remains a relatively under-researched area. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore the experiences of the SRD grant recipients in food-insecure households in two rural communities of Matatiele, a local municipality in the Eastern Cape. An interpretivist research design located within a qualitative research approach was used and a sample consisting of fifteen participants was selected, using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. The key findings that emerged were that the COVID19 and lockdown measures had ripple effects in food-insecure households which included, income loss, hunger and limited access to crucial goods and services. Despite the SRD’s limited amount, and at times poor implementation, it exhibited some efficacy in addressing food shortages in food- insecure households. Lastly, some participants found application and collection process of the grant seamless, while others found these processes complicated and challenging. These findings have significant implications for improving programme implementation through the inclusive administration of social assistance in South Africa.
Key words: Social Relief of Distress, social assistance, food security, food insecure, COVID-19, lockdowns