Lindiwe Zulu apologizes for social grant payout delays, puts blame on Postbank

Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu has apologized unreservedly to grant beneficiaries who are unable to access their money in September.

She told Parliament’s portfolio committee that the technical glitches experienced in the system were beyond her department’s control.

Zulu acknowledged that the non-payment of grants was affecting livelihoods and eroding public trust in the system.

On Wednesday, the minister told Parliament’s social development committee that all grant money was timeously paid into recipients’ accounts.

“My apologies are premised, in particular, on the understanding that for the majority of grant beneficiaries and their dependents, the social grant is the only form of income upon which their livelihood is founded.”

Zulu lumped the blame on the Postbank, saying it was the fourth time in 12 months that the same issue arose.

“This can be verifiably traced to the time when Sapo [the South African Post Office], and subsequently the Postbank adopted the new switch. Prior to the implementation of the new switch, grant beneficiaries experienced neither withdrawal failures nor funds.”

The minister said she met with her communications counterpart, Minister Mondli Gungubele, to come up with an action plan to limit the panic associated with the late payment of grants.

-EWN

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