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Across the Western Cape, SASSA beneficiaries continue to endure long queues, recurring system outages, staff shortages, delays in processing disability grants and Social Relief of Distress (SRD) applications, and poor access to services for older persons and people living with disabilities.

It is with the above as background that the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape will invite the newly appointed Minister of Social Development, Dina Pule, to undertake an official oversight visit with the Standing Committee on Social Development of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, to assess the state of SASSA service delivery across the province.

The invitation comes after years of the DA raising concerns about persistent service delivery failures that continue to affect the province's most vulnerable residents. Despite repeated oversight engagements and recommendations, these issues have remained largely unresolved and ignored by Pule’s predecessors.

The DA also believes that the time has come for a comprehensive review of the SRD grant as a social safety net. While the grant provides essential short-term relief, it should be complemented by interventions that enable beneficiaries to transition into employment, skills development and sustainable livelihoods. Government must move beyond merely providing temporary assistance and instead create pathways that empower people to become economically active, earn their own income and build independent futures.

While we extend this invitation in good faith and look forward to the Minister engaging directly with the challenges, the DA is disappointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint Pule. The Department of Social Development

requires credible, ethical leadership to restore public confidence and improve service delivery. Instead, the President has appointed a Minister who, while Ramaphosa was deputy president, was fired by his predecessor.

DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Social Development, Wendy Kaizer-Philander, MPP, said: "South Africans deserve a Minister whose leadership is defined by integrity, competence and a genuine commitment to serving the country's most vulnerable residents. We trust Minister Pule will accept the invitation as an opportunity to engage directly with beneficiaries, frontline officials and stakeholders, and to implement practical solutions to the challenges facing SASSA.”

Kaizer-Philander added: “At the same time, we need to strengthen the SRD grant by ensuring it becomes a bridge to opportunity rather than a permanent destination. Through better integration with skills development, job placement initiatives and economic opportunities, we can help more South Africans achieve financial independence and improve their socio-economic circumstances."

Issued by: Wendy Kaizer-Philander MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Social Development