SASSA Payments: Mother Says Her Family Is on the Brink of Starvation Due to Non-payment of Child Grant

Many citizens have yet to receive South African Social Security Agency's (SASSA) grants that they depend on to make ends meet. Among those who have not been paid out is a 43-year-old mother who depends on the R430 child support grant to put food on the table for her 12-year-old. SASSA claims the non-payment matter was resolved, but many still cannot access funds.

While the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has claimed that its non-payment issues have been resolved, thousands of citizens who solely rely on social grants have gone to bed hungry for the past week. Beneficiaries who use gold cards were told there was a glitch at the South African Post Office (SAPO) that resulted in people being unable to withdraw their money.

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Among those affected by the non-payment is a 43-year-old mother who uses the government's monthly R430 grant to support her 12-year-old child. Speaking to Briefly News, Maryna Maré Visagie said she felt defeated after not receiving the cash she depends on.

The Johannesburg-based woman applied for social grants after she was retrenched from her job and had since been using the money to put food on the table for herself and her child. Although it was the first time she experienced a non-payment, it has affected her tremendously.

“I use the money to buy food but there’s nothing now. I don’t have money to go and check at the ATM if the money has been paid out. I have to buy food and things that my child needs."

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"At the moment we’re running out of essentials, we are washing clothes with shampoo and dishwashing liquid. We are doing everything we can, but it is difficult,” said Visagie.

At first, the 43-year-old was confused as to why she did not receive her money and soon after, the confusion turned to fear. After numerous attempts to check her balance and contact the SASSA office, she felt her plight fell on deaf ears.

“They [SASSA] tell you different stories that’s it’s a glitch but some people had money go into their accounts and then there was nothing a short while later."

"I’ve been scouring the internet to see if I’m the only one that’s not being paid, or if there are other people. I went to the office and there was a long queue of people standing in front of me,” she added.

When asked if the government grant was enough for her to make ends meet, Visagie said she could make it to the end of the month with enough budgeting and assistance from her older children. However, the non-payment has caused havoc on her budget for the month, and she fears the problem will not be rectified.

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“I plan my month around the money; this is the first time I have had a problem, so I’m shocked. It’s quite concerning that they [SASSA] put the money into some people’s accounts and then took it out again."

"Some of my friends had not been immediately paid out but received the money after some time, but others have not,” she added.

However, according to a SASSA statement, the glitches have been resolved, and beneficiaries can collect their grant monies at ATMs and retailers across the country. The agency said the challenges were resolved on Saturday, 5 November, and there have been successful transactions.

Postbank also apologised for the system glitch and said: "We know that social grants are important to the livelihood of the most vulnerable in our community and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience experienced during the system glitch."

Numerous attempts to get in touch with SASSA regarding the non-payment proved futile at the time of publishing.

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South Africans share their struggles with SASSA's non-payment issue

Briefly News took to social media to ask readers if they experienced a similar situation, and the majority said they could not access their funds.

Here's what social media users had to say:

Zondo Soweto said:

“Life in South Africa is hard... You finish school go to varsity obtain your qualification after you end up unemployed. You start a business that business doesn’t generate profit because the rate of unemployment is high in your community...the government tells you to apply for grants you do so in the ultimate end they fail you... all government departments are jacklegs.”

Emma Khanye posted:

“YES I have and I still have not received it. So SASSA WHEN CAN I EXPECT IT?”

@Louisa06020970 added:

“We are at the post office it’s been 10 days coming here and they say SASSA network is not responding, we are broke and hungry!”

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Sassa issues warning against fake R700 grant to lend a "helping hand" circulating on social media

Briefly News also reported the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) had cautioned citizens about an application form for a R700 grant that is doing its rounds on social media.

The agency labelled the post "fake" and said it was not from SASSA. The hoax post said the grant is available for people aged 18 to 35 who need a "helping hand" from the government.

Taking to Twitter, SASSA said it did not send out the message and asked citizens to ignore and delete the post.

Source: Briefly News