DA: Bridget Masango on SASSA: CPS continues to prey on beneficiaries in Temba, Hammanskraal

7th December 2017

DA: Bridget Masango on SASSA: CPS continues to prey on beneficiaries in Temba, Hammanskraal

Today, the DA visited the social grants pay-point at the SASSA Service Office in Temba, Hammanskraal. The visit follows reports from DA councillors on the ground of how grant recipients in Temba are often subjected to hours in queues in order to gain access to their social grants.

Upon our arrival, a long queue had already been formed and it was raining. Since beneficiaries don’t have a proper waiting area at the pay-point, they are forced to bring their own chairs from home.

It was evident that CPS’s predatory ways are still in full swing. CPS continues to prey on grant recipients, by luring them into taking out insurance policies and ‘green cards’ that result in beneficiaries being vulnerable to illegal deductions.

There were also issues with the money dispensing machines which are old - causing money to not only jam in the machines but also beneficiaries’ money to come out short. Sadly, SASSA and CPS are aware but have done nothing about the situation.

The DA also met with SASSA staff at the service office, who complained about their dire working conditions. The office handles a traffic of approximately 100 beneficiaries a day but only have two CPS officials and 9 cubicles because it is classified as a “satellite” office.

This is clearly a dire state of affairs. And no-one in power cares to listen.

Temba, like many other rural communities, is crippled by high levels of unemployment and poverty. Their struggles often go unnoticed by the uncaring and out of touch Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini and the rest of the ANC government.

Minister Bathabile must take responsibility for her hand in the continued suffering of the poor and vulnerable. She once again was willing to put the social grants of millions of South Africans at risk for her own nefarious reasons.

With only 16 weeks until the 31 March 2018, deadline of the extended CPS contract is due to expire, we are still not clear who will assist the South African Post Office in distributing social grants as per the hybrid model proposed by the inter-ministerial committee.

The DA will continue to use its platform in Parliament to shed light on the plight of our people in Temba, or similar rural communities, until the Minister for once acts in the interests of the poor and vulnerable.

 

Issued by DA