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The old age grants of some of the residents of Our Home Old Age Home in Louis Trichardt were discontinued, despite attempts to rectify the situation. Pictured are the 90-year-old Ms Rina Faure (left) and Ms Noreen du Plessis (88) trying to sort their pensions out. The local SASSA officer came out to attend to their queries.

´Why do they stop our pensions?´

 

“Why do they stop our pensions?” senior citizens of Our Home Old Age Home in Louis Trichardt wanted to know.

Some residents of the old age home have been without any pension payment for the last five months. Others received the shock at the end of August when no pension money appeared on their bank statements.

Ms Dirkie Stroebel (83) had no problems with her pension for more than 15 years. Five months ago, her pension was suddenly stopped and no number of phone calls could rectify the situation. Ms Noreen du Plessis (88), who is in a wheelchair, also had to cope without her pension for the past five months.

Ms Nancy de Bruin (89) discovered this month that she had not received her old-age grant. Ms Rina Faure (90) finds herself in the same boat.

“The people are in a state. They need their old age grants urgently. Not all of the residents’ children are in the position to help financially. At this stage, the problem concerns eight of the residents. Five of them asked the home to take up the matter on their behalf. But pensioners in town have also phoned me with the same problem,” Mrs Kittie de Bruin, manager of Our Home, said.

The problems indicated on some of the social grant review letters are stated as “incorrect ID” and “incorrect banking details.”

“In 2008, we reviewed everyone in the home, and we put all of them on the green IDs. We did not experience any problems. Now, suddenly, they discontinue the grants,” De Bruin said. She added that it was not difficult for the social security agents to visit them and see who was still alive.

Aunty De Bruin, for one, received a request to review her social grant, due to incorrect banking details and incorrect ID. She had received her green ID document as early as 1998. She had all her paperwork done and received a grant review receipt dated May 4, and has an acknowledgement of receipt of life certificate dated July 29 this year. Still, her grant was stopped at the end of August.

The verifying officer of SASSA (South Africa Social Security Agency), Mr Paul Makhado, visited Our Home last week.

“A lot of the people have banking details missing and there is a problem with people having two ID numbers. We have to check on the system,” Makhado said.

The question arises whether the previous review details had not been put correctly into the system or had not been entered at all. Makhado said that it would make his day if all the elderly people’s grants were paid out again.

SASSA Communication officer in Polokwane Mr Steven Mavunda said on September 10 that he would definitely look into the matter. At the time of going to press, he had already contacted the old age home and received the IDs of five of the pensioners. Mavunda told the Zoutpansberger on Monday that he was busy investigating "what actually happened."

News - Date: 17 September 2010

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Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

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