The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) says the card swap process which started with a pilot project last month is on track to capture the remaining one-point-nine million cash social grant beneficiaries.
Sassa was briefing the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)’s Select Committee on Social Services on the developments around the payment of grants according to the Constitutional Court order.
The South African Post Office (Sapo) is to take over the payments from Cash Paymaster Services (CPS).
Sassa Executive Manager, Raphaahle Ramokgopa says, “We also want to make sure that all existing beneficiaries that are currently paid by CPS are paid by Sapo before the end of June. So our own card swap process for cash beneficiaries, we are prioritising it for June and should we have challenges of finishing it by June, July and August will be used to sweep around those that we were not able to get.
“So that come the 1st of August we are already depositing it into the new card. So that when there is problems with the card, by September, we know that we deal will the problem or systematic issues,” adds Ramokgopa.
However, Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu says CPS continues to make questionable deductions and has been issuing unauthorised cards to beneficiaries.
“CPS is continuing to cause confusion. CPS is continuing to lure people on the green card. And that’s the CPS which continues to take airtime from Gogos [elders]. That’s the CPS which was offering loans to elderly.”
“So we are hoping [that] this committee will help us in your own constituencies, because they are hell-bent not to move out. I was in Soweto on Tuesday and I discovered [that] they continue giving people the green cards, so it’s a big war. We are in a war with the CPS,” explains Shabangu.
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