If you are someone who cannot acknowledge how the South African government is failing its citizens, then perhaps you should not read this article.
I am beyond gatvol of the indignity and disrespect the citizens of Mzansi have to suffer because of gross incompetence, lack of planning and oversight, and the most disgusting “we actually don’t care” attitude from our so-called leaders.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is a national agency of the government created in April 2005 in order to distribute social grants on behalf of the Department of Social Development.
When will the CEO of Sassa, and the Minister of the Department of Social Development be held accountable for the utter s***show which they are responsible for?
Why do we ask that leaders in the private sector step down when their organisations don’t deliver, yet we are prepared to just sit back and suffer in silence when this lot treats the most vulnerable in society with such blatant disrespect?
This month, a “technical glitch” at Postbank (who makes payments on behalf of Sassa) saw many poor pensioners unable to access their monies via retail stores and ATMs.
Now maybe our highly paid leaders do not know the immense suffering and trauma this caused our elderly, so let me break it down for them.
Our old, frail and ill mense had to:
Borrow money to travel to pay points so that they could use their meagre grants to buy necessities like food, electricity and medicines.
Stand in long queues for hours only to be turned away.
Lie down, rest and even sleep in the cold overnight, in the hope of getting their monies the next day – as they simply could not afford the transport costs to make a trip back home, and return the next day.
Take out loans with unregistered loan sharks (who charge exorbitant interest) just so they could silence their hunger pangs, and that of those dependent on their grants.
Go to and fro, day after day – with some only getting their monies over the weekend (though there are some people who took to social media on Sunday reporting that they were still waiting for monies to reflect, even though Postbank had earlier released a statement saying that the situation had been rectified).
The spokesperson of Sassa in KZN, Sandy Godlwana, said the challenge was with Postbank, and that the money was available.
“We wish to assure them [grant recipients] that Sassa pays out the money every month; it is just that there is a technical glitch with Postbank,” Godlwana said.
For me, Black Sash director Rachel Busaka put it best when she said: “We worry that there was a failure by the Department of Social Development and Sassa, prior to partnering with Postbank, to do proper due diligence to determine whether Postbank had the capacity, expertise and infrastructure to administer the payment of social grants.
“Beneficiaries are frustrated and desperate as they cannot purchase necessities such as food or electricity … this is a grave injustice and a breach of the constitutional obligation to deliver grants.
“From the start, Postbank’s system has not been designed to adequately administer the payment of social grants.”
That is the point I am trying to make: stop passing the buck. Stop playing the blame game, Minister Zulu.
Admit that you are failing our people through your decisions and lack of foresight.
More than half a billion rand has been stolen from Sassa over the past 10 years and criminal cases for fraud, corruption and theft have been opened against 761 Sassa officials.
However, Sassa’s annual report indicated that only 37 cases were referred to the police for further investigation. How is this minister still in her position?
Sadly, we have to acknowledge that we have a president who won’t do much about the situation, as he seems incapable of doing the right thing for the masses who have to bear obscene unemployment rates, ridiculous load shedding and increased cost of living.
If the masses were his priority, he would not have chosen to give political office bearers and judges salary increases, in excess of what the Treasury recommended.
One of the reasons cited for giving these increases was to avoid these high-earning individuals from “becoming demoralised”.
Well Mr President, do you have any idea of how “demoralised” the 80-year-old uncle was who had to sleep outside, on the cold concrete pavement with no toilet nearby or food in his stomach, because Postbank, which YOUR minister appointed, could not handle their duties?
If the president and government wants to show us they care, then they need to reverse the nauseating increases they have given to members of Parliament and the legislatures earlier this year, and to councillors two weeks ago.
We can and should all highly appreciate the fight and sacrifices for our liberation and democracy, but we cannot let that blind us to the current reality of our beautiful country.
I will never support the colonial revivalist agenda of some opposition parties (and I would slit my wrists with a butter knife before I sell my soul or my vote for a blue T-shirt and a loaf of bread) but my “Thuma Mina” moment is officially over.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has undoubtedly been one of the biggest disappointments of my adult life. Sadly, I don’t foresee anything besides empty apologies and emptier promises coming from this month’s Sassa debacle.
Bottom line: Our struggling elderly and vulnerable citizens deserve better from Sassa than what they are currently getting. Leaders need to shape up, or ship out.
If you have the energy and patience, you can contact Sassa on:
Toll-Free Call centre: 0800 60 10 11
Call Head Office: 012 400 2322
Email Head Office: Grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
Daily Voice