Social development minister Zola Skweyiya has hailed Cabinet’s decision to approve the process of establishing a National Social Security Agency.

During its mid-year Lekgotla last week, Cabinet approved the establishment of the agency set to take charge of the management of the distribution of social grants throughout South Africa.

Skweyiya said the historic move would resolve the problems of poor service delivery to the most vulnerable communities.

“This is a milestone decision. It's the beginning of a process that ought to culminate in the restoration of the dignity of the poorest of the poor. This decision will go a long way in assisting the country to overcome the problems of long queues, poor services to older persons and people with disabilities that have been prevalent over the years.

He said the agency would further enhance government’s goal of building a better life for all especially the poorest of the poor, by eliminating abuse that the vulnerable people were experiencing. The minister therefore called on business, labour, faith-based organisations, and NGOs to work with government so that the agency could succeed. Government has outsourced the payment of the grants to some private companies in some provinces and many teething problems have marred the process with non-payment at times, and people dying in long queues in some parts of the country like in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The minister said however, the problems could be solved through partnerships and constant consultations with all sectors of society.

Meanwhile, Skweyiya is today expected to announce a massive programme at Dimbaza Stadium in King Williams Town, Eastern Cape, to ensure government services were easily accessible to poverty-stricken communities. – BuaNews.