The continued closure of the SASSA Kraaifontein branch, for over a year, has forced applicants to travel long distances and, in some instances, sleep outside an alternative branch in Eersterivier. However, the City of Cape Town has repeatedly offered an alternative site, closer to the homes of SASSA clients but which the national entity refuses to utilise.
The City has availed an appropriate venue, Northdene Hall, which is well-located, better equipped to handle Covid-19 protocols and social distancing. This venue has even been used by SASSA before. The agency’s stubbornness has no merit and costs residents dearly in terms of transport and time.
SASSA continues to refuse this option, opting for another nearby youth centre, citing security concerns. But this refusal is irrational. The general security of the area is the same in both locations, as they are approximately only 200 metres apart. Furthermore, the local DA councillor has offered to support security measures by mobilising the local Neighbourhood Watch and Walking Bus for the site.
In my capacity as the Standing Committee Chairperson for Social Development at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, I will invite the City of Cape Town and SASSA to brief us on the venues that the City has made available. We need residents to have access to services close to where they live, and so we do need to know what efforts SASSA is undertaking in this regard.
We cannot allow the ANC-led national government to sabotage the City’s efforts to provide support to the vulnerable. The City is going beyond its mandate, given that SASSA is the lead agency for social welfare and no other metropolitan municipality provides such extensive assistance to the agency. We urge SASSA to cooperate with the City of Cape Town so that the applicants receive the much-needed relief to support themselves and their families.
Cape Town Lens: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens