'WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY'

THE South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is being slammed for wasting mense’s time and money after the card migration process was suspended indefinitely.

Mense, often sick, old and vulnerable, are regularly forced to wait in long queues for help from SASSA to access their social grants.

Stories of aunties and oumas sleeping on the street outside offices to get a spot in the line have been reported and are shared on social media.

On top of this, there are now questions whether beneficiaries who opted for direct bank payments in the recent migration from the SASSA Gold Card to the black Postbank one are being charged extra.

Beneficiaries are currently permitted to continue using their existing SASSA Gold Cards beyond the original May 31 deadline.

Elsies River man Giovanni Dekoker said he has driven neighbours to the Bellville office, where they sometimes wait overnight.

He tells the Daily Voice: “Our government – whether it is local or national – would not go to SASSA or Home Affairs or any government building that time of the night and sleep over, so why are they letting the citizens do that?

“It is believed that if you sleep over then you will get help the next day as the system might be slow or off.”

Clive Jansen, SASSA’s Manager: Executive Support at the Bellville office has urged mense to stop waiting in queues and sleeping op straat and to rather make an appointment.

He says the service can deal with around 200 to 250 people daily, but more show up close to payment days.

Jansen says: “The SASSA Bellville local office is one of the offices in the Metro with a high daily intake and an equally high demand for services.

"The SASSA office operating hours are from 7.30am to 4pm daily but the office opens earlier to manage the long queues.

“In addition to mitigating long queues by prioritising old age and disability grant beneficiaries, queue management was also introduced as a service delivery enhancement.

“However, the office is working on an appointment system... clients that slept over might only be helped once the appointments have been dealt with."