Use GovChat to Check SASSA R370 Status

No. GovChat no longer runs the SASSA service, so there is no SRD status check on it any more. The app, the Messenger bot and the WhatsApp line on 0600 123 456 were all part of that service. Messaging any of them today will not give you a status.

A lot of pages still walk you through it step by step. Those guides are describing a system that has been switched off.

Check Your SRD Status Here Instead

SASSA runs a status page of its own, at srd.sassa.gov.za (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab). What that page shows you is the position on your file right now.

Have your South African ID number ready, along with the phone number you applied with. Lost that number? Update it with SASSA first, because nothing will verify you until you do.

Would you rather talk to a person? The SASSA toll-free line is 0800 60 10 11 and the email address is grantenquiries@sassa.gov.za.

What Happened to GovChat

GovChat was a private company, not a government department. It was founded by Eldrid Jordaan and launched in 2018, and it built a citizen engagement platform that sat on top of WhatsApp and Messenger.

During the Covid period SASSA used it to take SRD applications and return statuses, and millions of people went through it. That arrangement has since ended. GovChat no longer handles SRD, and SASSA now points people to its own site.

This matters for one practical reason only: if you are waiting on a status, do not waste days messaging a channel that cannot answer you.

Can You Still Apply for the SRD Grant on GovChat?

No. Applying through GovChat was part of the same service that has been switched off.

You apply on srd.sassa.gov.za (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) instead. It asks for your name and surname, your South African ID number, your date of birth, and a phone number you are holding, because a PIN is sent to it.

That number has to be yours, and you need to keep it. Everything that follows, an appeal included, runs through it.

Be Careful Who You Send Your ID Number To

Because the old channel is dead, accounts have popped up claiming to be the replacement. If a WhatsApp number or an app asks you for your banking details, or for a fee to push your grant through, it is not SASSA.

Nothing SASSA does costs money: not the application, not an appeal, not a card. Only two sites should ever see your ID number, and those are srd.sassa.gov.za (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) and srd.dsd.gov.za/appeals (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).

What About an Appeal?

Appeals were never a GovChat function, and they are not handled by SASSA either. A declined SRD application goes to the Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals (ITSAA). It is independent of SASSA, and it runs its appeals on a Department of Social Development site.

Lodge it and check it at srd.dsd.gov.za/appeals (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab). You must appeal within 30 days of the date SASSA declined you, and never later than 90 days. You must also appeal each declined month on its own. ITSAA finalises appeals in 60 to 90 days.

F.A.Q

Can I still check my SRD status on GovChat?

No. GovChat no longer runs the SASSA service. Use srd.sassa.gov.za instead.

Is 0600 123 456 still a working SASSA number?

No. That was GovChat’s WhatsApp line for the SASSA service. Messages to it will not return a status.

Can I apply for the R370 grant through GovChat?

No. Applications go through srd.sassa.gov.za. Take your South African ID number and a phone you are holding, because a PIN is sent to it.

Can I check someone else’s SRD status?

Not on your own. The PIN goes to the phone number on that application, so the person must do the check themselves or sit with you while they do it. Never ask anyone to send you their PIN.

Does checking my SRD status cost anything?

No. Checking on srd.sassa.gov.za is free, though normal data charges apply if you are not on Wi-Fi. Nobody at SASSA will ask you to pay.

What if I lost the phone number I applied with?

You have to update your contact details with SASSA first, either on the official site or at an office. Until then no channel can verify you.

Conclusion

The GovChat route is gone. It worked while GovChat ran the SASSA service, and plenty of sites still describe it, but it will not give you an answer today.

For a status, go to srd.sassa.gov.za (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab). To speak to someone, phone 0800 60 10 11. If SASSA declined you, your appeal sits with ITSAA at srd.dsd.gov.za/appeals.