Political parties call on Zulu to take responsibility for failed Sassa payments
The Postbank failed to pay recipients on time after its payment system malfunctioned, resulting in pensioners and those living with disabilities being unable to access their money for over a week.
JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance has called on Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu to take responsibility for Sassa grant recipients not receiving their payments on time.
The Postbank failed to pay recipients on time after its system malfunctioned, resulting in pensioners and those living with disabilities being unable to access their money for over a week.
Communications minister Mondli Gungubele last week said the new payment switch meant money from failed transactions was erroneously deducted from beneficiaries' accounts, affecting 600,000 people.
Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu blamed Postbank, saying it was the fourth time in 12 months that the same issue arose since the bank and the Post Office were separated.
Some 100,000 social grant recipients were still in limbo.
DA MP Bridget Masango said: “Beneficiaries apply to Sassa, not Postbank or other service providers, to receive grants. It is time minister Zulu showed leadership and took responsibility for her part in hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries suffering hunger, wasting their precious funds on multiple unsuccessful trips to payment points.”
The African Christian Democratic Party echoed similar sentiments.
The party said Zulu should fire those responsible for the late payments, adding that Zulu's job was on the line.
The ACDP also criticised the poor communication with grant recipients, saying they should have been informed about the payment problems by public office bearers.
