18 000 WC clients negatively impacted by SASSA's January non payment of social grant

The Western Cape’s Social Development MEC, Sharna Fernandez, has expressed her dismay towards South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries not receiving their January social grant.

COURTESY: SASSA

According to Fernandez, her department was inundated with various complaints from SASSA grant beneficiaries, during the festive season

These include:

-        Some or all the monies have not been available from the Older Persons Grant when withdrawing at a retailer and recourse has been impossible with no results.

-        Applications for the Old Age Grant is an arduous process with no feedback given from SASSA.

-        Beneficiaries receive little to no communication when trying to update Social Relief of Distress grants applications.

-        Beneficiaries complained about delays in transferring grant payouts from retailers or the Post Office to their bank accounts. In one case a woman told us she changed her details in September 2023, yet she only received her grant payment in January 2024.

 

Fernandez says her hands are tied as SASSA is a national agency of the South African government.

‘’Thus, when our office receives enquiries or complaints, our only course of action is to refer the matter directly to SASSA’s regional staff so that they may look into the matter. However, there is only one person in SASSA’s Western Cape office dealing with all these complaints. This is absurd and a demonstration of gross neglect towards our most vulnerable citizens, when you consider that there are at least 390 000 grant beneficiaries in this province,’’ said Sharna Fernandez, Western Cape’s Social Development MEC.

Fernandez also criticised the national department’s lack of commination.

‘’My concern is that this information has not been widely communicated with the public, and more importantly with the beneficiaries for whom grants are so crucial to their survival. Effective communication is key to ensuring that issues like “incorrect banking details” are prevented, as we have informed SASSA in multiple meetings last year. The public deserves transparency. They deserve better than what the national government is currently serving.’’

‘’I am angry at the silence and continued lack of engagement that I and the residents of the Western Cape have received from national Minister Lindiwe Zulu. I urge her and the department to give clear, honest answers to beneficiaries and to open up communication channels between the national department and the provinces who try and help these deeply distressed citizens. I implore South Africans to turn their frustrations over a tattered social grant system to Minister Zulu. Make your voices heard by national government because you deserve better,’’ said Fernandez.

According to SASSA Western Cape, 18 000 clients were negatively impacted and that challenges with the verification process have since been resolved.

‘’Some of the Old Age beneficiaries were already reinstated for payment in January 2024 and The Child Support Grant beneficiaries will be reinstated for payment in February 2024,’’ said SASSA in a reply to Western Cape Social Development Department.

 

Done by: Mitchum George