Social Development Department has refuted reports that South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa) intends closing some pay points. Minister Susan Shabangu and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Zweli Mkhize accompanied by chairperson of national house of traditional leaders Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu briefed media in Pretoria.
Following increased fake SMSes on closing of certain pay points to Sassa grant beneficiaries Social Department acted quickly to dismiss those messages as fake. Social development minister Susan Shabangu, after meeting traditional leaders in Pretoria, announced that there is no decision regarding closing of pay points. She says, should that be considered a proper consultation will be done.
“We have NOT started closing any pay point. If that must happen it will happen in consultation with the various stakeholders. As we are saying the traditional leaders are our partners. We will have to work with them when it comes to any pay point. But you must also know that we have a policy which says our beneficiaries must have access to their pay point within a five kilometre radius.”
The national house of traditional leaders chairperson Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu says they welcome the department’s decision to involve traditional leadership in issues affecting communities. Mahlangu has made a commitment that that traditional leadership will work together with Sassa to ensure beneficiaries are NOT inconvenienced.
“For us as traditional leaders to take this message to our own communities and keep them updated so that they don’t just get information from anybody but they get proper information. So we’ve been taken through. We know exactly what is happening now between government and CPS. We know the programme that government has embarked on.”
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Zweli Mkhize has appealed to the Department of timeously inform beneficiaries about any developments or changes affecting them.
“And the challenge in that is that the bulk of those are in rural areas under traditional leadership and therefore there needs to be a seamless flow of information in so far as the way that the grants are administered and the partnership that needs to develop. The other point which is important also is the point that there is a lot of possible scams if people are not properly informed.”
Sassa is currently issuing new cards after the Constitutional court invalidated the contract between them and Cash Paymasters Services (CPS) earlier this year. Shabangu explains the difference between old cards and the new ones.
“Whoever comes with that old grindrod CPS card it’s illegal because we are moving away from that and where we are now we are making sure that we do a card swop from Sassa to Sassa SAPO card which then will, if you look at the card it will also have a post bank at the bottom, but linked to that it will also say VISA because now the new cards are a VISA card.”
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