Educated, unemployed: A graduate’s painful SASSA R370 reality

Luvo Ntliziywana has done everything right. He studied beyond a bachelor’s degree, acquiring postgraduate qualifications that should, in theory, open doors. Instead, he finds himself in the Eastern Cape with no income, no employment prospects, and a Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R370 a month standing between him and hunger.

“It is ridiculously inadequate and extremely little to survive in these incredibly difficult times,” Ntliziywana said of the monthly payment, describing the experience as one marked by “stress, misery and pain.”

When qualifications are not enough

Ntliziywana is in his late thirties and qualifies for honours, master’s, or doctoral-level study. He has skills in retail and customer service and has made it clear he is willing to relocate anywhere in South Africa for work. Yet despite this flexibility and his academic achievements, no offers have come.

South Africa’s unemployment rate sits above 32 per cent nationally, and the Eastern Cape consistently records some of the worst figures in the country. For Ntliziywana, the statistics are not abstract; they are his daily reality.

R370 That Runs Out Before the Month Does

Every rand of his SRD grant goes toward food and groceries. Even so, the money runs dry before the month-end. He regularly cannot afford to eat properly, a situation that carries its own particular sting for someone who invested years in education with the expectation of a different life.

“The humiliation of depending on government assistance weighs heavily,” he said, adding that he has done precisely what society promised would lead to stability and independence.

When asked what would most improve his circumstances, Ntliziywana’s answer was immediate: increase the grant amount. The R370 SRD grant has not kept pace with inflation, and recipients say it covers less each year.