'Sassa is betraying our elders': Mzansi responds to grant delays
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Image: Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the department of social development have come under fire after technical glitches with its payment systems saw thousands of beneficiaries in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal return to their homes empty-handed, despite standing in long lines since the early hours of the morning, eNCA reported on Monday.
Some reportedly fainted while waiting for the payments.
Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said beneficiaries must make use of different paypoints to access their grants.
"There are multiple channels of payments where people can have access to their grants. They do not have to use one available method. People could have gone to the post office. These multiple channels are to ensure that people avoid flocking to one area at the same time," he said.
Sassa was expected to pay out grants for the elderly and those with disabilities on Monday, as per the new government multibillion-rand Covid-19 fund, which states that other beneficiaries will now receive their grants on the sixth of every month, TimesLIVE reported on Sunday.
Sassa CEO Totsie Memela said she was worried about whether the system would operate at capacity for the Covid-19 grants, saying it had crashed after paying 100,000 people during its soft launch over the weekend.
South Africans took to social media to voice their concerns. Here's a glimpse at their views.
Ohhhhh 😭😭😭😭😭 someone's grandma just fainted while waiting for hours in that long line.
— Here's the thing🍍🇮🇹 (@double_citizen) May 4, 2020
No man pensioners shouldn't be going through this!!!!#SASSA #eNCA
#SASSA
— lizzy malekana🇿🇦 (@limalekana) May 4, 2020
It breaks my heart to see our grandparents standing on long queues while most of them have arthritis so they can feed their families only to find out that there is no money in their cards yet ,some travelled long distances to get to SASSA pay points pic.twitter.com/zJNAapZiOj
I never thought #SASSA would betray our elders this way pic.twitter.com/Anz6CpzXNY
— Siqalo B Khuzwayo (@SiqaloB) May 4, 2020
I really thought #SASSA was prepared for today? Wow I forsee danger honestly. Our grandparents are at risk pic.twitter.com/xzxifV1g1H
— Phumzile Radebe❤ follow😍I follow back😄 (@Phumi88Phumzile) May 4, 2020
This Codiv 19 is exposing our government in so many levels... You can't tell me uGogo will stand in the long Q for hours and being told there's no money. Kanti this day wasn't it prepared? #SASSA pic.twitter.com/xLywAbmjnP
— Cellular ➐ (@robzinterris) May 4, 2020
#SASSA says the money will be available before the end of today "hopefully by 15h00" my heart goes out to the elderly that have been in queues since the morning. pic.twitter.com/TDcoBtjBwN
— The Unknown Empress (@MissMaylands) May 4, 2020
No money for our grannies, some they been here since 4am and they don't have money to go back home in this cold weather I'm at Estcourt KZN @SABCNews #SASSA and we being told that the money will be available tomorrow on the 5th of May pic.twitter.com/taK3d2O1RF
— Nkululeko Duma (@Nkule_Duma) May 4, 2020
I thought #SASSA was prepared for today. pic.twitter.com/6jpxJFpLkG
— Thabang Mamushi Tshehla (@ThabangMamushi) May 4, 2020
#SASSA seeing people with disabilities come back without money and some their money haven't click 😭its heartbreaking pic.twitter.com/h0OyWt0XWH
— MJ DITABE (@Ditabe_) May 4, 2020
During last year elections, this vans used to collect pensioners from their homes to the voting stations
— Thabiso 👑 (@Thabisoo_J) May 4, 2020
Pensioners were not allowed to queue. Some were even carried out from their sick beds
But today the same pensioners are queuing for #SASSA grants and for food parcels 😬 pic.twitter.com/WlBjizMHmU
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Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.