To: Editors and journalists
Issued by: Black Sash
Cape Town, Thursday, 19 September 2024: Black Sash is concerned about the recent report by the Auditor General to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development in Parliament that the Social Security Agency of South Africa (SASSA) has underspent its budget by R4 billion on Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants during the 2022/23 financial year.
It is concerning that SASSA has returned R4 billion while many beneficiaries are rejected. Furthermore, there are barriers in the SRD grants that have resulted in vulnerable people being excluded from accessing the grants. The underspending by SASSA therefore remains deeply problematic as several beneficiaries are left without dignity and rejected unfairly.
The Auditor General’s findings also revealed that SASSA doesn’t have a process to report and track grant inquiries received from the public and therefore cannot accurately report resolved and unresolved cases. This is unacceptable and Black Sash calls for SASSA to implement swift measures to remedy this.
It is also important to highlight that the SASSA online application system continues to be marred by challenges. Black Sash urges SASSA to take accountability and improve its systems to avoid persistent technical issues that continue to have a negative impact on beneficiaries across the country.
SASSA’s push for an exclusively online platform for the SRD grant and now urging particularly, Child Support Grant (CSG) applicants to make use of their online application system, all whilst knowing that South Africa has the highest rates of inequality, unemployment and poverty and is plagued by access challenges by the poorest of the poor seems to seek to exclude rather than include those who should qualify for grants.
SASSA is also currently on a drive across the country to increase the uptake of the CSG for children from birth to age one, where we have seen some of the smallest numbers of uptake and this seems counter-productive to then pushing people onto online platforms.
Black Sash has received calls from various CSG applicants in parts of the country who are claiming that SASSA local offices in the Durban area amongst others are refusing to assist them to apply for their grants at offices and are stating that this can only be done online. Applicants share that they do not own smart phones, or do not have the necessary funds for data or struggle with network challenges in the areas that they live in, and this prevents them from even attempting to apply which raises a concern in terms of due access to one’s rights.
Those who have been fortunate enough to get online, struggle with the uploading of the critical documents required to complete the application and are then forced to have to secure funds to travel to a local office to seek assistance and support.
Black Sash has been aware that SASSA is allegedly in the process of moving staff from offices to completely working remote which leads one to presume that SASSA local offices will possibly close, and people will not be able to access any form of support from SASSA offices in the future. This is concerning considering SASSA knows the challenges even the SRD grant applicants go through in applying, checking up on their applications, as well as appealing. Add to this, the volume of ordinary grants, and no form of access to a SASSA official, could lead to a breakdown in the grant application system which will affect the poorest of the poor severely.
We call on SASSA to consult with civil society and beneficiaries before taking such extreme measures and to ensure that a hybrid means of accessing all grants will continue to be available for all.
For media queries, please contact Mongezi Mhlongo, Black Sash Communications and Media Manager: 071 717 2498/ mongezi@blacksash.org.za
