Weeks have gone by, your SRD appeal still has no decision, and you are starting to wonder if anyone is looking at it. A long wait is frustrating, but on its own it does not mean the appeal was lost or forgotten. Here is what happens behind the scenes, how long the tribunal says it needs, and what you can do without putting your appeal at risk.
First, which “pending” do you have?
Two different things get called pending, and they need different responses:
- Your appeal is undecided on the tribunal site at srd.dsd.gov.za. That is what this page covers.
- A month on your normal R370 result says pending on srd.sassa.gov.za. That is SASSA still verifying your application, not an appeal. If that is your situation, read our guide to an SRD status stuck on pending instead.
Many people still call an appeal a “reconsideration”. SASSA’s own reconsideration step on the SRD portal dealt only with the period May 2020 to March 2022, and it has since closed. If you lodged anything since then, your case sits with ITSAA, the Department of Social Development’s independent appeals tribunal.
What happens to an appeal while you wait
The tribunal works separately from SASSA. It reviews the month you appealed against the reason you gave, and weighs that against the information SASSA used to decline you, such as bank, Home Affairs, UIF, SARS or NSFAS records. Nothing on your side needs to happen during this time unless the tribunal contacts you. It handles appeals from across the country, which is one reason decisions take time.
The only official timeframe: 60 to 90 days
ITSAA says it aims to decide within 60 to 90 days, and it replies electronically. That is a target, not a guarantee. Work out your own position by counting from the day each appeal went in:
- Under 60 days: still inside the normal range. Keep waiting.
- 60 to 90 days: a decision could come at any time. Keep your registered phone on and look at the tribunal site now and then.
- Over 90 days: past the tribunal’s own target. Now it is reasonable to ask about it.
Following up without starting over
An enquiry does not reopen or reset your appeal. Lodging the same month a second time can, at best, add nothing and, at worst, confuse the record, so ask rather than resubmit.
- Check the tribunal site once more so you can quote exactly what it shows. Our page on tracking an appeal’s progress explains how to read it.
- Email ITSAA at grantappeals@dsd.gov.za with your ID number, the month you appealed and the date you lodged it. Written enquiries leave a record you can refer back to.
- If email brings no answer, phone the tribunal on 012 312 7727. SASSA’s call centre (0800 60 10 11) can help with your application, but it does not decide appeals.
Meanwhile, keep using the SRD site for the months after the one you appealed: each new month is assessed on its own. If a later month is also declined and you believe that is wrong, it needs its own appeal within 90 days, whatever the stage of the first one. When the decision finally arrives, our guide to what each appeal result means explains what follows.