“It is, at this stage, not easy to give a final number as grants continue to be drawn daily until the end of cycle.”
BY APRIL 1, the South African Post Office (Sapo) paid out close to R13 million to more than 9 500 SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) beneficiaries in the Northern Cape.
This is according to Northern Cape Sassa spokesperson Inno Khunou, who indicated that 6 568 beneficiaries were in the Diamond Fields (Frances Baard and Pixley ka Seme districts), while 2 998 were in the Kalahari (John Taolo Gaetsewe, Namakwa and ZF Mgcawu).
“As of April 1, 2020 Sapo had paid close to R13 million to 9 566 beneficiaries, who withdrew their grants at post offices across the Province.”
Khunou stated that pursuant to the Covid-19 prescriptive announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to lockdown the country to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Sassa and Sapo decided to bring forward the payment dates of vulnerable social grant beneficiaries.
“Minister Lindiwe Zulu of Social Development then issued a directive to stagger social grant payment dates.”
This saw the elderly and people with disabilities being given first preference on March 30 and 31, with other grants following from April 1, 2020.
The period for the payment of cash beneficiaries is April 3 until April 14.
Khunou stated that after this period, the Northern Cape would be in a position to consolidate and report on the total number of beneficiaries who had collected their grants.
“It is, at this stage, not easy to give a final number as grants continue to be drawn daily until the end of cycle.”
Sassa Northern Cape has a total of 492 054 beneficiaries who receive an estimated R414 million. This number fluctuates as some beneficiaries fall off the system when they die, others come on, while some grants like the foster child and temporary disability grants are on then off.
According to Khunou, the agency registered minimal challenges, like some post offices running out of cash due to the unusual number of withdrawals effected.
“Some beneficiaries forgot their PIN numbers and these had to be reset immediately to ease disappointment. The biggest challenge was the long snaking queues and refusal of some people to keep the prescribed social distance,” she added.
“We heartily thank those who made our efforts to serve them quickly easy and extend warm gratitude to the SAPS, SANDF and all the government departments that clubbed in to assist Sassa, thereby ensuring the seamless payment of our communities, as well as the various print and electronic media who also heard the call by the president to fight this battle together,” Khunou stated.
She further welcomed the announcement of the increase in grants as announced by Tito Mboweni, Minister of Finance.
