Abstract
To minimise the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable households in South Africa, the South African Government allocated R50 billion for social assistance. The cash transfer package included a temporary increase in existing grants and an introduced the ‘COVID-grant’. The grant, which is handled by the Department of Social Development, sees the department working in collaboration with the government in providing social relief to the citizens during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the Disaster Management Act 57, of 2002, by the Department of Social Development, particularly with regard to the distribution of the COVID-19 grants to citizens. In getting a detailed response, the study utilised mixed-method research to get more robust results. The researcher argues that those who were most affected by the pandemic are not necessarily those who come from the poorest households. The findings emphasise that social assistance to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19 should not necessarily be viewed as a standard poverty reduction exercise. Instead, it should be viewed as an attempt to mitigate COVID-related income shocks for the vulnerable who were most negatively affected by the pandemic.
Keywords: COVID-19, Grants, Pandemic, Social Relief, South Africa