Services at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices in Bellville, Cape Town are said to have stabilised and returned to normal following unrest which took place last week.
Sassa says additional manpower has been brought in to bulk up services following long queues of beneficiaries.
Last week, police were deployed to Sassa’s Bellville local office to enforce social distancing in the snaking queues, water cannons were eventually used to enforce the practice.
Social Development Minister visited the congested office following several complaints of poor service and people queuing for hours to get assistance.
Sassa says volunteers have been brought in to assist with queue management and have sourced independent doctors to help communities.
To date, the Bellville office has close to 7 200 lapsed disability grants and has scheduled close to a 1 000 appointments for affected clients.
It however says due to challenges as a result of the lockdown, the offices are operating with a 50% total staff capacity.
Police use water cannon to enforce COVID-19 regulations at Bellville Sassa offices:
