Black Sash has called for the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to announce a plan to address the abrupt closure of its Khayelitsha office in the Western Cape.
The Sassa office in Khayelitsha was closed for renovations on 14 July 2022 without residents being informed.
Social grant beneficiaries arrived at the offices in the early hours of the morning hoping to be the first in line, only to be told hours later by security guards that the offices were closed. This left residents confused and annoyed.
The Sassa office was the only one servicing hundreds of beneficiaries in Khayelitsha.
The organization wants Sassa to communicate alternative plans to restore services in the area as a matter of urgency.
“It has created unexpected difficulty in accessing social grants as well as placing an unforeseen financial burden on beneficiaries who now have to bear the cost of the transportation to alternative Sassa sites in order to receive services,” the organization said in a statement.
The Khayelitsha Sassa office was operating in a building owned by the provincial Department of Social Development.
Speaking to GroundUp, Sassa Western Cape spokesperson Shivani Wahab said they were told that the renovations would be completed in 2023.
“Since March 2022, Sassa has been working towards identifying suitable alternative accommodation,” said Wahab.
A Sassa employee at the Khayelitsha office, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were also frustrated because they cannot report to work and had no idea when the offices would reopen.
Black Sash said they have offered assistance to find an alternative plan and a communication strategy so that beneficiaries are aware of what is happening.
They said they have been waiting for a confirmation of a meeting from the Sassa acting regional manager in the province to find a way of addressing the issue.
For now, the beneficiaries are left to travel long distances to other Sassa offices, which comes with an additional transport cost.
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