I’m glad to Share that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has plans to address grant payment issues. The efficient and timely payment of social grants is crucial for the well-being of many vulnerable individuals and families in South Africa.
It’s good to know that SASSA is taking steps to address the technical problems with the grant payment system. It’s important that the agency ensures the timely and accurate payment of social grants to those who rely on them.
Finally the wait is over SASSA Online Application Platform will be available soon
It’s good to know that SASSA is taking steps to improve its online services platform and that the new system is currently being tested and should go live soon. I hope that this new system will be able to address the technical issues that have caused problems with grant payments and lead to more efficient and reliable payment processes for social grant beneficiaries in South Africa.
It’s also encouraging to hear that SASSA is committed to improving its online services platform to serve its beneficiaries better. I hope that this is just one of many steps that the agency will take to improve the lives of those who rely on social grants in South Africa.
Statement From Executive Manager Brenton van Vrede
The Executive Manager of Grants Administration at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Brenton van Vrede, has announced the launch of the agency’s online application platform, which was first announced last year. Currently being tested, the platform is expected to go live in the next few days, following weeks of development. Sassa has also been working to improve its grant distribution and collection process to address the difficulties experienced by many beneficiaries.
Statement From Minister Zulu
Minister Zulu has revealed that Sassa encountered issues with SRD grant payments due to challenges in sourcing information to verify the eligibility of applicants. The agency relies on other government departments and entities to verify information, which has caused delays in payment distribution to beneficiaries.
Sassa is digitizing and enabling bank changes, allowing grant recipients to change their bank details easily. However, the agency needs to engage in contracts with South African banks, a process that could take up to three months. Sassa cannot solve Postbank issues, but it can accommodate people who want to switch banks.
Minister Zulu has confirmed that apart from an incident of duplicate payments in May 2020 in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal region, no grant payment issues have been encountered since January 2023.
Changes to the qualifying criteria of Sassa’s social grants, including the monthly and income thresholds, have been proposed to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of the grant system. The monthly threshold has been amended to align with the food poverty line, while the income threshold has been set at R624.
Sassa distributes permanent grants, including the Older Persons grant, grant-in-aid, Disability grant, Foster Care grant, and several Children’s support grants to approximately 18 million people. The agency also provides a temporary grant to unemployed individuals, known as the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which reaches over 7 million beneficiaries every month.
