Acting CEO of the Social Security Agency (Sassa) Pearl Bhengu says the agency has put in place contingency plans for beneficiaries who needs cash payments should the Constitutional Court rule against extending the contract of Cash Paymaster Services (CPS).
Bhengu says Sassa will pay directly into beneficiaries’ accounts come 1 April 2018.
Sassa says the South African Post Office is ready to administer grant payments, but has requested that the court allow it to extend the CPS contract for six months while it finalises the migration process.
Bhengu says the problem is with the 2.8 million beneficiaries in remote areas, who need to convert their grants to cash at pay points.
She says beneficiaries will receive pin numbers and be transported to the closest ATM.
Bhengu says, “We need to get those people to have their pins as soon as we get the judgment and once they have their pins they will be need to be transported to the places where they will get their money.
“Not forgetting that there are some outlets like Pick n Pays where they do have the biometric systems, so the other people will still be able to go to those places but they will be inconvenienced because they would have to be moved from their usual pay point to a far place.”
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