Since the new iteration of the Covid-19 SRD grant kicked off early in August the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has received close to 14 million applications. According to the agency, over 8.3 million applicants have been approved and over 5.6 million have been paid by September 2021.
“Despite the high number of applications, SASSA has been able to expedite payment of verified clients, while continuing to verify the remaining applications.”
Many SASSA applicants have not yet received payments
About 1.5 million applicants have not received payment yet, due to the payment method they have chosen. These applicants chose the cardless payment channel at ATM’s. However, SASSA went through a procurement process to use this payment method with the banks. National Treasury is currently considering this request.
“As soon as Treasury approves our request, we will pay every cent owed to this category of beneficiaries without any waste of time. We really empathise with them but we also have a responsibility to follow the law”: SASSA CEO, Busisiwe Memela-Khambula said.
SRD Grants for unemployed caregivers
On the other hand, SASSA announced last week that unemployed caregivers without ID books are now eligible for the SRD Grant.
“To enable these specific clients to apply for social grants, SASSA has allocated them a system-generated 7777 identification number to assist them to access social assistance.”
Furthermore, the agency reminds all approved caregivers with a valid ID document, that they are paid through their gold SASSA payment cards.
“These clients who receive their R350 grant in their SASSA cards are advised not to collect at the Post Office but to access the money at participating merchants or bank ATMs. They are reminded that they can also use the card to pay for purchases and not necessarily only to withdraw cash.”
SASSA states that over two-thirds of appeals lodged have been finalised to date. And as part of the process, these cases are sent to the banking sector for validation.
“SASSA requests applicants who have not yet received their appeals’ feedback to be patient as everything humanly possible is done to finalise the process”: concluded Memela.
Media Statement: SASSA PAYS CLOSE TO 6 MILLION COVID-19 GRANT APPLICANTS