More Bad News as Sassa Says No Cash for Temporary Disability Grants
- The South African Social Security Agent (SASSA) has said that it can't afford to extend its temporary disability grant
- According to SASSA, they only have a limited amount of funding left for the grant to payout
- There has been much criticism directed at the SASSA authorities as thousands of South Africans gathered outside pay points trying to reapply for the grant
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There has been more bad news shared with the recipients of the temporary disability grant as the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) says that the agency does not have enough funds to extend the temporary disability grant.
According to Dianne Dunkerley, Sassa's executive manager responsible for grants administration, the agency has only R411 million available for the temp grant which needs at least R1.2 billion to award the grant to about 210 000 recipients who have applied to receive it.
The agency has received widespread criticism for a number of reasons over the last few months, some of which owe to the fact that thousands of recipients were pictured queuing outside Sassa offices to reapply for the temporary grant while ignoring Covid health regulations.
They were also criticised for not having enough doctors to assess which people were eligible to receive the grant. According to a Sowetan Live article, Dunkerley has said that the agency has since made money available to secure doctors who will be available for use inside community halls that will "help limit the number of people waiting in queues.
Dunkerley also announced that those over the age of 59 years old will be among the recipients of the limited funds available for the grant as the chances of the people who fall into that age group will have little chance of finding employment.
Source: Getty Images
Briefly.co.za previously reported that temporary disability grant beneficiaries have been, to put it bluntly, been left in the lurch by the government. Those set to receive the grant are now rushing to get the medical paperwork needed to reactivate their payments.
This comes as South African hospitals baulk under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic with many at full capacity. The lockdown, implemented in March saw a 10-month extension being granted before medical reviews would be needed again, but this has come to a swift end.
The agency released a statement earlier this week confirming that the extension is indeed over:
“At the end of December 2020, Sassa suspended a total of 210,778 disability grants nationally, as the extended period for which they were awarded had expired."
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Source: Briefly News
