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Soundbite by Alexandra Abrahams MP.
- 150 seniors marched to Parliament over SASSA failures, from unpaid grants to long queues.
- The DA will present their grievances to Parliament, Minister Tolashe, and SASSA’s CEO tomorrow.
- The DA demands urgent action to fix SASSA vacancies, improve services, and restore seniors’ dignity.
This morning, the Democratic Alliance received a memorandum of grievances from a group of approximately 150 senior citizens who marched to the gates of Parliament in Cape Town.
Their list of grievances raises serious concerns affecting many seniors across the country. Issues include access to social grants, inhumane long queues, system breakdowns, unpaid grants, lack of communication, and the old age grant being inadequate to meet basic needs amid the rising cost of living. These grievances relate to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), an entity under the National Department of Social Development.
The memorandum further outlines concerns involving the Departments of Health, Police, and Transport. It also calls for the dignity, protection, and welfare of all seniors, regardless of race or creed, to be upheld in accordance with the Older Persons Act, 2006.
The DA will ensure this memorandum is handed over to the chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on social development, Bridget Masango, the Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe, and the CEO of SASSA, Themba Matlou, during a scheduled in-person committee meeting tomorrow, which will address the termination of the contract between SASSA and Postbank.
The poor and vulnerable cannot tolerate the indignity of SASSA, which is meant to provide social protection, any longer. We call on Minister Tolashe to urgently the address the 62% staff vacancy rate and lack of resources at SASSA offices, roll out of the self-help kiosks and other online appointment booking systems to improve queue management, and vastly improve on their communication with beneficiaries.