DA will call for debate of national importance on SASSA grant payment failures
17 September 2023
The DA will call for a debate of national importance regarding the failed and late payments of South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) social grants.
The recent Postbank payment failure is the latest in a long line of failures to ensure grant recipients get their funds at the allotted times, and Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu’s attempt to solely lay the blame at the Bank’s feet is disingenuous and ignores the countless months the elderly or young mothers or disabled people had to queue in the wind and rain just to return home empty handed.
Beneficiaries apply to SASSA, not Postbank or other service providers, to receive grants. It is time Minister Zulu showed leadership and took responsibility for her part in hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries suffering hunger, wasting their precious funds on multiple unsuccessful trips to payment points, and being made vulnerable to unscrupulous loan sharks preying on their situation.
On Tuesday, 19 September 2023, the DA will also lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Johannesburg office and request an investigation into SASSA’s continuous failures to pay social grant beneficiaries on time. The issue of late or non-payment of grants is a clear violation of citizens' rights to life, equality, dignity, food and social security. The Minister has failed time and time again and it is time she accounts for her lack of action.