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ActionSA condemns the unacceptable conditions that millions of South Africans are forced to endure simply to access the social assistance on which they depend.

This morning, during a midnight oversight visit to the SASSA offices in Bellville, ActionSA witnessed a deeply disturbing reality where more than 50 people were already sleeping outside the offices in freezing winter conditions, hoping to secure a place in the queue before the offices opened this morning.

Among those waiting overnight were elderly pensioners, mothers with young children, grandmothers, people living with disabilities and other vulnerable South Africans. No person should be forced to sleep on a pavement in the middle of winter merely to access a constitutionally guaranteed social grant or receive assistance from a government department.

Long queues, inadequate service capacity and poor administrative planning despite the rollout of “new” systems are simply unacceptable, with the burden falling squarely on those who can least afford it. Social grants are a lifeline for millions of households struggling with unemployment, poverty and the rising cost of living. The least government can do is ensure that beneficiaries are able to access these services in a safe, dignified and efficient manner.

ActionSA calls on SASSA and the Department of Social Development to urgently intervene by increasing staffing and service capacity at high-demand offices; introduce an effective appointment and queue management system to prevent overnight queues and investigate why beneficiaries are repeatedly being forced to queue overnight to access basic services.

Issued by ActionSA Cape Town Mayoral candidate Dereleen James