SASSA's “problem” queue keeps getting longer

Local beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grants are still experiencing problems with accessing their money and getting their new gold cards working properly. Pensioners who have serious health and mobility problems say that they are not getting the assistance that SASSA has promised to give them.

Following up on a distress call from two local pensioners, both of whom are unable to stand in queues for any period because of extreme and continuous pain, the Zoutpansberger was directed to a new notice on the SASSA office door in Louis Trichardt, which states “Old aged, people with disabilities and pregnant women are not allowed to queue. Please get inside and be assisted”. The sign notwithstanding, the elderly, infirm, and otherwise disabled were directed to the back of the queues to wait their turn with everyone else, regardless of their problems.

“We wanted to try and arrange to get our money, but there is no way we can stand for so long. We’re going home,” stated a couple who had been waiting in the queue for hours from before 07:00. Clearly in pain from standing for such a long time, they had no answer when asked what they were going to do next.

SASSA remains firm with its plan to stop using Cash Paymaster Services at the end of September this year when the SA Post Office will take over the function of making pay-outs to grant recipients.

The past Sunday, SASSA’s public accounts committee chairperson, Themba Godi, and SASSA’s acting CEO, Abraham Mahlangu, met with grant beneficiaries in Polokwane who are concerned about the closure of current pay points. Addressing these concerns, Mahlangu stated that: “There were glitches in the transition, especially the use of new cards in village pay points. Also concerns from local traders at pay points that will be closed that these closures will be catastrophic for local economies. In changing to the new system, we do have challenges. We are showing them where they will be paid. To the people doing economic activity around pay points, we are saying we are going to pay the grants and you can continue your activities.”

SASSA has consistently referred to the many incidences of failure by beneficiaries who depend on these grants for their basic survival to access their money as glitches and has rather concentrated on the positive stories of those who have succeeded in finally drawing their pensions. Grant beneficiaries experiencing difficulties have been encouraged to come in to SASSA offices for assistance.

The scenes outside Louis Trichardt’s SASSA offices of wheelchair-bound people queueing, and the very obviously uncomfortable, old, and infirm sitting on the floor in these long lines bely these apparently helpful and positive statements. Pensioners in the lines were too afraid of retribution to provide their names to the Zoutpansberger. Several of them agreed that while they were happy for those who had finally managed to get hold of their money, they were suffering and afraid of what to do next, as the promises of personal attention and help by SASSA were not forthcoming because of the sheer volumes of people seeking assistance. “We are not problems. We are people,” said one elderly lady from her position seated on the floor in the queue, with tears in her eyes. “I have no money to go home now, and no food. I must stay here until somebody helps me get my money.”

With six weeks to go to the end of September, SASSA has stated in papers filed with the Constitutional Court that the remaining beneficiaries who have not yet migrated to the new system should be moved without any further problems since the various system glitches that had caused major problems had been addressed. The number affected is just over one million people. “An additional 116 707 beneficiaries from the cash payment file were swapped from July 20 to 26” the court papers state, and that this has left the number of cash beneficiaries still to be swapped at 981 962.

SASSA continues to maintain that all will be well, if grant recipients remain calm and patient and go to their nearest SASSA office for assistance when needed. From a percentage point of view, with under a million grant recipients still to be processed into the new system, it would appear that success is in sight, but from a human perspective, this leaves a lot of people still waiting for money that they desperately need.

In the introduction to SASSA’s last annual report (2017), the Minister of Social Development, Ms B O Dlamini, states that, on 17 March 2017, the Constitutional Court judgment once again reaffirmed that SASSA has a constitutional obligation to administer and pay social grants. In making this declaration, the Constitutional Court has been mindful of Section 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996), which provides that everyone has the right to have access to social security, including the right to social assistance, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependents. She says that since SASSA’s inception, the function of paying out social grants has been outsourced to external service providers, with the understanding that the agency will build the internal capacity to take over this responsibility in the long term.

Dlamini adds that, “notwithstanding the transitionary matters that SASSA is seized with, we are pleased with the impressive progress on the other fronts.” By the end of March 2017, some 17, 2 million social grants were being paid, an increase from 10, 9 million in 2006. The Child Support Grant remains the highest, followed by the Old Age Grant. On the other hand, SASSA continued to improve its operational machinery, which contributes to positive beneficiary experience. Currently, more than 70% of grants applications are processed within one day, down from three months in previous financial years.

SASSA strongly urges beneficiaries to come to their offices as soon as possible, so that their new cards and processes will be fully operational when the time comes for the use of old cards to be finally stopped.

News - Date: 20 August 2018

Jo Robinson

Jo joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2018 pursuing a career in journalism after many years of writing fiction and non-fiction for other sectors.

Email: [email protected]