SASSA latest: Staggered payments of social grants to continue, says Zulu

Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu held a press briefing on Friday 2 July and outlined the plans following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national address and the move to Level 4 lockdown. While there’s no news about the R350 SRD grant, Zulu said The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will continue with staggered payments for social grants. 

“Given that social grants are a lifeline for many vulnerable individuals and households, particularly during these difficult times, our aim is to ensure that there are no disruptions in services that SASSA renders,” she said. 

SASSA TO CONTINUE STAGGERED PAYMENTS, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

SASSA will continue with the staggered payments of social grants, with the first payment date reserved for older persons, followed by disability grants and the payment of all child grants. This month, payments of social grants will start on Tuesday 6 July. 

READ: Confirmed: Here are the official SASSA payment dates for July 2021

“Once again, we appeal to all grant recipients that they do not need to collect their grants on the day it becomes available, but can collect their grants on any day as their monies will remain in their accounts and will not be taken away from them,” said Zulu.

While all SASSA offices will remain open, they will operate with a reduced staff complement as per the DPSA Circular. 

“Applications for social grants at all Local offices will be staggered according to grant type, for instance Mondays will be for older persons, Tuesdays for disability grants, Wednesdays and Thursdays for child grant applications, and Fridays for appointments and spill over from the week,” she added. 

ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM 

Zulu said some of the changes that were made during the response to COVID-19 enabled them to fast-track digitisation of services. 

“These include the online booking system for disability grants, which has significantly cut down on the amount of time and costs for both SASSA and grants applicants. We take great pride with the significant progress we have registered since the launch of the online booking system in April this year,” she said.  

“We, therefore, would like to encourage disability grant applicants to make use of the SASSA online booking system which can be accessed through the agency’s website on www.sassa.gov.za. This will allow applicants to book assessment dates for the disability assessments. Our staff at SASSA offices can also assist clients with this system to ensure that they avoid repeated visits to local offices,” added Zulu. 

The call centre remains functional. However, they are appealing to citizens not to report to the call centre in person but rather to lodge their queries by phone on 0800-60-10-11 or through email at grantenquiries@sassa.gov.za