SASSA grant beneficiaries say they are still waiting for their monies

Today is the 15th of September and hundreds of SASSA beneficiaries have still not received their grants for this month.

Despite this sobering reality, they are still hopeful that they will receive the money soon.

Yesterday, Minister of Communications, Mondli Gungubele, assured beneficiaries that the issues plaguing the grant payment system would be resolved soon.

Technical glitches have resulted in scores of beneficiaries, including pensioners, being forced to return home without money, after standing in long queues. Others have had to seek help from loan sharks to survive.

Postbank’s chairperson, Thobile Wonci, and two other board members, Advocate Leigh Hefer-Hendrikse and Martin Mahosi, resigned this week with immediate effect over the headache.

They cited Gungubele’s alleged interference, hostility and oppressive leadership style as reason for their decision to quit.

This morning, DA members in Joburg staged a picket outside the Postbank, in the CBD, calling on government to urgently intervene.

A shop owner in the area slammed SASSA for alleged poor communication, saying it does not communicate clearly with its clients and services providers.

Some grant beneficiaries have lamented having had to borrow money from loan sharks in order to survive.

While waiting outside in the heat, these elderly people say they have been unable to buy food or pay back the money they have borrowed.

 

Gungubele and Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, briefed the media on Thursday on delayed SASSA payments, and apologised for the delays.