The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday it would conduct an oversight inspection at the South African Social Security Agency’s biggest office in Johannesburg on Friday.

DA MP Bridget Masango will conduct the inspection following allegations of beneficiaries being robbed and assaulted at the office and Sassa staffers soliciting bribes.

Masango said the party had received numerous reports from all over the country regarding the challenges grants beneficiaries face just to gain access to their grants.

“We have also received reports of long queues and beneficiaries being turned away at Sassa offices in Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Durban," she said.

"It is clear that the new payment system is failing and that the department of social development had no contingency plans in place to prevent this disaster."

“This is unacceptable as millions of South Africans who are beneficiaries of cash payments depend on their grants to put food on the table," Masango added.

Parliament’s portfolio committee on social development commended Sassa on the progress achieved in grants payments during a briefing in Parliament on Wednesday.

Sassa reported to the committee that there were no major challenges experienced in August in payments to beneficiaries compared to July.