SRD Declined - You Received Farmer, Spaza or Sport Relief

Updated on 15 June 2026

If your SASSA SRD status shows "Farmer Relief", "Spaza Shop Relief", "Sport Relief" or a combined message naming one of these, SASSA's check found you on a list of past recipients of COVID-era relief grants. Those programmes ran in 2020 and 2021 and have long since ended. But the records are still on the database SASSA uses for SRD eligibility, which is why this decline still appears years later. If you genuinely got one of those grants, you may still not qualify today, depending on policy. If you did not, the decline is wrong and worth appealing.

What these COVID-era relief grants were

During the 2020 and 2021 COVID lockdowns, government rolled out several emergency grant programmes targeted at sectors that lost income overnight:

• Farmer Relief: small-scale, smallholder and subsistence farmers affected by lockdown disruption. Run mainly through the Department of Agriculture, with payments via SASSA infrastructure in some cases.
• Spaza Shop Relief: spaza shop owners who had to close or saw their trade collapse during hard lockdown. Run through the Department of Small Business Development.
• Sport Relief: sportspeople, coaches, federations and sports event workers affected by event cancellations and venue closures. Run through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

All three programmes ended. But recipient lists remain, and SASSA cross-checks against them when assessing SRD R370 applications.

Common causes

• You actually received the grant in 2020 or 2021 - the record is accurate.
• A household member used your details to apply (a relative listed you as a co-applicant for spaza relief, for example).
• You never received the grant but were wrongly listed - a database error or duplicate entry.
• Identity theft: someone else used your ID to claim relief. Rare but possible.

How to fix it

1. Step 1: Confirm whether you actually received one of these grants. Check your bank statements from 2020-2021 for any unexpected government deposits. Ask anyone in your household who managed your details whether they applied.
2. Step 2: If you did receive it, the decline may still be correct under SASSA's current rules. Check the latest position on srd.sassa.gov.za or call 0800 60 10 11. Some past recipients have successfully appealed where the original payment was small and the programme has ended.
3. Step 3: If you did NOT receive it, get a sworn affidavit confirming this. Free at any SAPS station.
4. Step 4: Print bank statements for 2020-2021 showing no relief payments. If you do not have them, your bank can provide them (usually at a small fee).
5. Step 5: Submit a reconsideration on srd.sassa.gov.za within 90 days. Upload the affidavit, ID and any bank statements. State clearly that you never applied for or received the named grant.

Why this still matters in 2026

SRD is reassessed every month. Each month's check hits the same database that holds the 2020-2021 relief records. So even though the programmes ended years ago:

• You can be declined every single month until the record is cleared.
• SASSA does not automatically remove old relief records - you have to push.
• A successful reconsideration usually clears future months too, but not always - some applicants have to appeal every few months.

Sample appeal wording

"I have never applied for or received the Farmer Relief, Spaza Shop Relief, or Sport Relief grant. My bank statements for 2020 and 2021 show no such payments. Attached: sworn affidavit dated [date], copy of my ID, and bank statements covering [period]. The record on SASSA's database appears to be incorrect. Please reconsider this decline."

How long does this take?

• Reconsideration: 30 to 60 days typical.
• Appeal to ITSAA if reconsideration is declined: 30 days from the decline to lodge; then 60 to 90 days for a decision.
• End-to-end: 3 to 6 months if both steps are needed.

See how long does each SASSA step take? for the full timeline.

FAQ

What are Farmer, Spaza and Sport Relief grants?

COVID-era emergency grants from 2020-2021 for affected farmers, spaza shop owners and sportspeople.

Why is this still a decline reason years later?

SASSA's database still holds the recipient lists. Every monthly SRD check uses the same list.

I never received any of these grants. How do I appeal?

Sworn affidavit, copy of ID, bank statements for 2020-2021, and a reconsideration on the SRD portal.

Could someone have applied in my name?

Possible - check whether any household member used your details. Identity theft is less common but possible.

How long does the appeal take?

30 to 60 days for reconsideration; up to 6 months end-to-end if you have to escalate to ITSAA.

See also

• All SRD declined reasons
• SRD declined - main guide
• SRD declined: existing SASSA grant
• SRD declined: alternative income source
• SRD declined: government payroll registered
• SRD appeals - step by step
• SRD reconfirmation guide
• Check your SRD status

Sources

• South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) - sassa.gov.za
• SASSA SRD Portal - srd.sassa.gov.za
• Department of Agriculture - dalrrd.gov.za
• Department of Small Business Development - dsbd.gov.za
• Department of Sport, Arts and Culture - dsac.gov.za
• Department of Social Development - dsd.gov.za

About this guide: maintained by OurPower and updated regularly to reflect current SASSA procedures and payment amounts.