The South African government wants to assure members of the public that steps are being taken to address the challenges that prevented thousands of social grant beneficiaries from collecting their September 2023 grant payments. This includes more effective communication with beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele addressed the media on Thursday to update on progress made on payments to Postbank Gold Card Sassa beneficiaries.
September 2023 brought significant challenges for Sassa grant beneficiaries, as system glitches on the 5th and 6th of the month disrupted the flow of grant payments. This meant that some beneficiaries of the older persons' grants and disability grants were left without any grant payments.
Gungubele says grant beneficiaries who were impacted by the system glitches have been paid. The minister said grant payments are readily available to beneficiaries in their accounts. Grant payments can be accessed at bank ATMs, retailers, and Post Office branches.
We are delighted to report that Postbank has provided us with the assurance that, according to their records, all Sassa grant beneficiaries whose accounts were adversely affected by these system challenges on the 5th and 6th of September have now been corrected.
Improved Communication For Sassa Beneficiaries
In a bid to improve communication with Sassa grant recipients, Sassa and Postbank are set to embark on a collaborative outreach campaign. This campaign will leverage community radio stations to ensure that grant beneficiaries are equipped with credible information regarding grant payments.
We are actively taking measures to prevent challenges in our bank ecosystem and, in particular, for our social grant account holders
With the October payment cycle looming, Sassa and Postbank have already begun preparations to ensure a smoother experience for grant beneficiaries. Both departments acknowledge the strain that the grant payment challenges in September have caused the most vulnerable members of society.
Noting that we will start with the October payment cycle in less than two weeks, we have started preparing to ensure that we do not encounter challenges that were experienced by our clients this month,
This collaboration between Sassa and Postbank seeks to ensure issues faced by grant beneficiaries in September don't occur in October 2023 ensuring that the most vulnerable members of society receive the social support grants they need to survive.
