Social grant payments have been postponed in parts of KwaZulu-Natal following last week’s unrest in the province.
Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni has confirmed in a briefing on Wednesday that 20 Sassa offices and 21 post offices in the province were vandalised and burnt down. This has affected the ability of the Department of Social Security to service beneficiaries leaving the most vulnerable stranded.
Social Security Minister Lindiwe Zulu, together with the Social Security Cluster, will give details later this week on measures to mitigate challenges of citizens to access her department’s services.
“These offices are not offering social services and beneficiaries have been advised to use ATMs and shops to access their social grants. Furthermore, Sassa grants that were due to be paid on the 20th of July have been postponed to a later date that is in KZN and Gauteng. One Sassa located in Alexandra was burnt down and beneficiaries have been referred to an alternative site. This is of great concern for us as government because it has great impact on the most vulnerable who will not be able to access their social support form Sassa timeously,” says Ntshaveni.
Ntshaveni briefed the media on Wednesday on government’s efforts to rebuild the economy following the unrest that left more than 200 people dead and damages to infrastructure and businesses estimated at around R10 billion.
More on Ntshaveni’s briefing in the video below:
