SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA – MAY 04: A general view of senior citizens queuing for their monthly social grants outside Jabulani Mall on May 04, 2020 in Soweto, South Africa. According to media reports, the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) was hit by accidental double payments in some areas, and no payments in others, due to glitches in the system as it tried to make payment days less crowded by extending the dates. (Photo by Gallo Images/ER Lombard)
SASSA R750 food voucher? Scores of people gather as fake messages circulate
Large numbers of people have gathered outside SASSA offices in KZN, as a result of fake messages regarding a R750 food voucher.
SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA – MAY 04: A general view of senior citizens queuing for their monthly social grants outside Jabulani Mall on May 04, 2020 in Soweto, South Africa. According to media reports, the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) was hit by accidental double payments in some areas, and no payments in others, due to glitches in the system as it tried to make payment days less crowded by extending the dates. (Photo by Gallo Images/ER Lombard)
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in KwaZulu-Natal has alerted the public to fake messages making the rounds on social media, indicating that unemployed people will receive a R750 food voucher.
SASSA said the messages are not true and are misleading the public, so much so that scores of people have now gathered outside offices in KwaZulu-Natal, in breach of COVID-19 regulations.
SASSA ALERTS PUBLIC TO FAKE NEWS ON R750 FOOD VOUCHER
SASSA spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said a message has been shared on social media platforms recently, leading some people to believe that SASSA is issuing food vouchers of R750 to unemployed persons.
“These reports are not true and are misleading the public. It is unfortunate that as a result of these fake messages scores of people have responded by visiting SASSA offices in Ladysmith and Dundee in numbers breaching COVID-19 restrictions of large gatherings,” she said.
“This undermines government efforts to curb the spread of the virus as the numbers of people who test positive soar,” she added.
SASSA has urged people to exercise caution not to be duped by hoax messages.
“We appeal to our people to be vigilant, if people are not certain about information purporting to be from SASSA, they must contact us immediately or call our customer care number 033-846-3400 or 0800-60-10-11 to verify the veracity of such information,” SASSA said.
SRD GRANT AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO MEET THE CRITERIA
Godlwana said SASSA social grants are in place to help improve the standards of living of people and they remain the cornerstone of the government’s key programs to fight poverty afflicting the vulnerable.
“One such grant is, the Social Relief of Distress which is a temporary grant of assistance intended for persons in such dire need that they are unable to meet their or their families’ most basic needs,” she said.
This grant is paid to qualifying persons who meet the following criteria:
- Awaiting payment of an approved grant;
- The breadwinner of the household is deceased and application is made within three months of the date of death;
- The breadwinner of that household has been found medically unfit to undertake remunerative work;
- The breadwinner of that household has been admitted to a state-funded institution;
- Person has been affected by a disaster; and
- Children who are malnourished.
