Noluthando Ngeno1 August 2024 | 14:53

DA concerned over claims recipients unable to access social relief of distress grants

Grant recipients have again been left stranded after the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) migrated to a new system that requires beneficiaries to be verified before payouts.

DA concerned over claims recipients unable to access social relief of distress grants

A South African Social Security Agency office in Pretoria. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed concern over claims that hundreds of people are currently unable to access their social relief of distress grants.

Grant recipients have again been left stranded after the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) migrated to a new system that requires beneficiaries to be verified before payouts.

But numerous beneficiaries claim they haven't received a verification link after an outage at Home Affairs affected technical systems.

The DA's Bridgette Masango said the party would engage with Home Affairs Minister Leon Shreiber to ensure that the required verification links were sent without fail.
 
"Vulnerable beneficiaries cannot be allowed to suffer due to the ineffective systems. The Democratic Alliance will make sure that SASSA accounts to Parliament on the challenges of the new biometric system."