SASSA fails to use CoCT facilities to ease congestion at offices 

17 February 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been reliably informed that the Social Security Agency of South Africa (SASSA) has repeatedly failed to utilize venues offered to them by the City of Cape Town to help with the easing of queues and congestion at SASSA offices.

As of Friday, 12 February 2021, SASSA still has not used any of the facilities that they had requested from the City, despite the clear need for them with reports that almost 40 000 applicants still need to be assessed in the Western Cape alone.

It seems SASSA has no will or intention to ease its own challenges in order to better serve those under its protection. In fact, while the DA-run City of Cape Town has stepped outside of its mandate in order to assist SASSA and make available these facilities, which could have been used for other services, the Agency has decided to ignore helping vulnerable people in favour of spreading disinformation.

In December last year, SASSA suspended thousands of temporary disability and care dependency grants across the country. Due to poor planning, hundreds of applicants descended on various SASSA locations across the country to reapply for these grants which resulted in long queues.

These disability grants are essential to their recipients who depend on them, and the City of Cape Town have tried to engage with SASSA to ensure that as many recipients as possible are being assisted. SASSA, however, isn’t stepping up to the plate. In fact, only around 8 000 applications have been processed since the beginning of the year.

The ANC in the Western Cape and the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, have gone as far as trying to politicize the disability grants – particularly in Cape Town – by saying that the City and the Western Cape Provincial Government didn’t want to avail any venues. However, SASSA appears to be dragging its feet in using available venues offered to them despite the immense backlogs and long queues.

The Kraaifontein Town Hall, Ikwezi Recreation Facility in Gugulethu, Brownsfarm Hall in Philippi, Ocean View and Portland Community Hall are some of the venues that have been made available – at SASSA’s request – but not been utilized by the Agency.

While the Minister and the ANC are trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, vulnerable and desperate grant recipients are still expected to wait day and night in queues – in the hot sun and cold the rain. Disabled and elderly people have been expected to face horrid and inhumane conditions in order to access their money – for many the only source of income to care for all their needs. Let’s not forget that it was under Minister Zulu’s watchful eyes that disability grant recipients were doused with water cannons while she screeched about social distancing from an armoured truck.

The Minister and SASSA have proved yet again that they truly do not care about grant recipients. The Minister cares about her political clout and photo opportunities and shopping sprees, but not about those dependent on their SASSA grants for survival. Why would she go to the trouble of solving SASSA’s troubles when she can use it as fertile feeding ground for her attempts to undermine those truly trying to help vulnerable and poor people.

Issued by Bridget Masango, DA Shadow Minister of Social Development, 17 February 2021