The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) has launched a nine-month review of South Africa’s social grant payment system. The review seeks to address persistent issues that have disrupted payments to millions of beneficiaries.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) distributes over 18 million permanent grant payments, including the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid. Challenges including non-payment of grants as well as delays come a great cost for beneficiaries who rely on Sassa grants to survive.
Under the review Sassa's agreements with the South African Post Office (SAPO) and Postbank will be evaluated. These agreements have been in place for several years with Postbank taking over grant payments 2022 following significant challenges that forced SAPO to cut its basket of services.
Stellah Masombuka, who is leading the review, expects it to be finished by December. This timeline is based on data gathering beginning in June and July, with the first draft of the review scheduled for release in September.
Masombuka added that the department will examine systemic failures, identify parts of the grant payment system that what worked, and recommend improvements.
The DPME’s presentation highlighted issues such as “network challenges and system glitches during grant payment runs, leading to failed transactions,” as well as inadequate facilities for beneficiaries waiting in queues at Postbank branches.
I acknowledge that the challenges on the ground are immediate. This document is part of the evidence we are documenting on what is happening,
Civil society organisations have until Friday, 23 May to submit comments and nominate representatives to a steering committee overseeing the project.
The department’s senior evaluation specialist, Kgaugelo Moshia-Molebatsi, said: “Based on recommendations by the steering committee, an improvement plan will be tabled, and a progress report will then be produced every six months for two years.”
