Like many, one woman said that she could not afford to buy a mask but she felt she did not really need it as she would stay home for the next month.
Sassa's Shivani Wahab said they expect the process – from application to approval – to take between two to three working days.
The president was replying to debate on his State of the Nation Address at a joint sitting of Parliament on Wednesday.
Sassa says this is to allow the elderly time to do their shopping before the Christmas rush.
Sassa approached the court last month requesting a six-month extension of its contract with CPS to disburser millions of social grants.
It's understood Sassa filed papers on Wednesday and asked the court to extend its contract with Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) for another six months.
The panel has highlighted a number of issues it says have not been adequately addressed, as the takeover date of the first of April edges closer.
Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is answering questions about her role in the Sassa social grant payments debacle.
But the agency is silent on contingency measures should it not be able to execute its plan with the Post Office in time.
The agency successfully ran a very small-scale pilot project that saw 100 beneficiaries, who bank with commercial banks, paid directly by Sassa.
Sassa has therefore resolved to collaborate with the Sapo to ensure a seamless phasing out of the current service provider, CPS.
It, however, remains unclear what deal has been reached with the Post Office after weeks of deadlock.
There’s still no firm agreement signed between Sassa and Sapo to take over the social grant payment system, but there appears to be commitments to use more of its services.
A veil of secrecy has been thrown over talks that were expected to yield an outcome by Friday.
The Chief Justice says the new directions issued by the court are to ensure compliance with its March order that Sassa takes over grant payments from Cash Paymaster Services by 1 April.
Treasury has found the South African Social Security Agency was biased in crafting a request for a proposal and that it unfairly disqualified the Post Office from parts of the tender.
Scopa's Themba Godi says that if Minister Bathabile Dlamini fails to come up with a suitable plan for grant payments next year, she could face a motion of no confidence.
The agency is under a Constitutional Court deadline to phase out a contract with Cash Paymaster Services by March.
