Without prior notice, November pension payout day was moved a day earlier in some areas, with the next pension payout only in coming up in January next year again.

Pensioners in the Buysdorp/Vivo area were surprised to hear through the grapevine that the pension payout people had already arrived on Thursday, November 23. The official date for the payout was November 24.

Ms Lucy Buys, a 78-year-old pensioner, was one of the lucky ones who heard about the earlier date.

"I only heard that morning that there would be a pension payout. I heard it from people who went to work in town," Ms Buys said. At that stage, 26 people were gathered at the point, of whom a lot were vendors who follow the pension payout teams.

Mr Alec Smail, vice chairperson of the Management committee of Buysdorp, was at the payout point.

"The pensioners who heard the rumour that the payout date had been moved forward, waited at the payout point, not knowing whether it was a false alarm or not. Eventually the team turned up, coming from Vivo. They did not stay long, packed up quickly and left for Vivo again just past twelve noon," Mr Smail said.

The pension payout team sometimes come in the afternoon and the pensioners wait from seven in the morning.

"We normally get a date but not a time. If they change the date they should confirm with the Management Committee a week prior to the date. This way of doing things and the lack of communication is totally unprofessional," Smail said.

People who managed to hear about the payout kept arriving. Other pensioners were not aware that the date had been moved forward and left for town.

"Many missed this payout and the next payout is only in January next year. We want to know what contingency plans are in place," Smail said.

The lack of communication proved to be a problem in more than one way. The Department of Health and Welfare and the South African Social Agency (SASA) kept passing the buck when approached for comment. After many telephone calls and messages and discoveries that relevant persons are not around or on leave, it transpired that the next payout date is given on the date of the previous payment and any changes should be communicated to the community structures. The payout contractor should communicate the change of date to SASA who should then inform the relevant pay point committee. The problem was ascribed to "a communication breakdown". The contingency plans seem to be that if a person misses the pension payout, he or she has to go to the next village for the payout.