National DSD fails to give guidance to provinces amid payment crisis

11 October 2023

Despite the national panic and chaos of delayed payments of social grants last month, the National Department of Social Development did not offer any assistance or guidance for the provision of relief to beneficiaries to the Western Cape Department of Social Development.

In a written reply to a DA parliamentary question, Western Cape Minister for Social Development confirmed that her department was inundated with complaints from beneficiaries, but did not receive any assistance from National DSD. In terms of guidance, SASSA’s regional executive considered it sufficient to rather issuing press releases explaining the payment “glitch”.

A common complaint was the people already living in poverty were forced to waste vital funds on transport to pay points, only to return home empty handed and fend for themselves due to the ANC-sponsored crisis.

MPP Dan Plato says: “The vulnerable, elderly, children, persons with disabilities, are people that need aid and should not suffer the way they are suffering at the hands of the ANC national government, a department that should provide them with the support they need to make ends meet.

This is one of the reasons why the DA in the Western Cape will invite SASSA to provide feedback to the Standing Committee on Social Development on the chaos of *the payment "glitch"*. The DA will continue to hold incompetent National Ministers to account, and we will not sit on the sidelines while they carelessly disregard the needs of our residents.”

Issued by Dan Plato, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Social Development, 11 October 2023