SASSA CEO Sandy Godlwana and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele. Images: Twitter/@OfficialSASSA.
SASSA: Officials positive October social grants will be paid timeously
The Department of Social Development says it is already making plans to ensure that all SASSA grant beneficiaries are paid on time.
SASSA CEO Sandy Godlwana and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele. Images: Twitter/@OfficialSASSA.
The Department of Social Development and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies say they have started preparing to ensure that they do not encounter challenges that were experienced by South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries this month.
This comes as social grant beneficiaries were left destitute on 5 and 6 September as they could not access their funds due to a technical glitch.
WILL SASSA BENEFICIARIES GET THEIR OCTOBER GRANTS ON TIME?
On Thursday, 21 September Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu together with Communication and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele held a joint media briefing to provide an update on issues related to social grants.
During the briefing Gungubele said the root cause of the Postbank system challenges that affected the September social grants payments to some beneficiaries, which have now been resolved as of the 6th of September, relate to Postbank’s migration to a new system.
He also reiterated that changes in the Postbank Board shall not have an impact on any of our banking operations or the capacity of the Postbank.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, 20 September, Postbank confirmed that social grant beneficiaries that were affected by the recent technical glitch have been paid.
In a statement, on Tuesday, 19 September, Postbank said according to their records all outstanding SASSA grant payments to recipients that were impacted by the technical glitch on 5 and 6 September have been made.
In addition, the process of reversing funds to all affected beneficiaries’ accounts has been completed.
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The incident was widely condemned by political parties and social justice organisations as millions of South Africans depend on social grants.
On Tuesday, 19 September, Democratic Alliance (DA) said it will lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission against the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, the Department of Social Development, SASSA and Postbank for their part in the ongoing social grant payment failures adding that some recipients are yet to receive their funds following the technical glitch.
BENEFICIARIES ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DEFRAUD SYSTEM
Postbank spokesperson Dr Bongani Diako said they have encountered attempts by some individuals who would have received their funds trying to get double payments.
Diako said their systems are very thorough and the individuals making the attempts will not be successful.
“Instead, what these people are doing is clogging the system and denying people that need genuine assistance from being helped,” he said.
Diako added that the people attempting to defraud the system will be reported to law enforcement agencies as the act also perpetuates the incorrect notion that there are still scores of SASSA beneficiaries that have not been paid.
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