SASSA WC Temporary Disability Grant applicants turned away

The DA in the Western Cape has spoken to six different individuals who have confirmed that the SASSA offices in Wynberg and Atlantis advised them to return on different dates to collect temporary disability grant application forms for medical assessments. The dates for collecting these application forms range from February to July.

The applicants would then need to take these forms to a registered doctor for assessment, and return to SASSA for application thereafter. This delay of up to six months, if not more, leaves applicants without an income and jeopardises their health and livelihoods.

As Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Social Development, I will today seek approval from the Western Cape Provincial Parliament that we convene an urgent committee meeting which SASSA Western Cape must attend. Our residents deserve better and those responsible for the delays and super-spreader incidences at SASSA must account.

In an interview with eNCA, Mr Bandile Maqetuka (SASSA Regional Manager for all Cape provinces) describes a new booking system which appears to correlate with the dreadful experiences on the ground. If this is the reason for delaying the grant applications for many recipients by several months, then we have even more tremendous cause for concern.

SASSA’s excuses and the negligence of the national Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, is inexcusable. In a television interview today, Minister Zulu claimed that SASSA does indeed have the funds for these grants. This begs the question of why she did not extend the temporary disability grant expiration to the end of March in the first place.

It is also noted that in his interview Mr Maqetuka mentioned that SASSA has finally decided to work with the City of Cape Town for venue support. This eleventh-hour decision was a main reason for the overcrowding of SASSA offices. All this could have been avoided if it were not for the poor planning of SASSA and Minister Zulu.

In stark contrast, the Western Cape Department of Social Development has confirmed that R61 million has been prioritised by the Department to assist in food relief in the province. The funding will go towards Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) that support kitchens in providing food to vulnerable residents of the province. And despite it not being within her immediate mandate, we welcome the proactive efforts by Western Cape Social Development Minister, Sharna Fernandez, for her extensive engagements with SASSA to navigate workable solutions.

The DA in the Western Cape will continue to take up the plight of vulnerable residents and ensure that those who desperately need the safety nets of government support receive them.