Angelique Ruzicka investigates the allegations surrounding the social grants payments scandal.
The Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. This was mostly due to the crisis surrounding the payout of grants to over 17 million beneficiaries in April. At the heart of this crisis are millions of vulnerable South Africans who depend on grants.
One such citizen is Edward Domingo (68) from Delft in Cape Town. He is disappointed in the service he receives from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) – the government agency in charge of paying grants. Since March 2016, his social grant dropped from R1 500 to R1 100, with no explanation or warning. “I was not worried for the first two months because I thought it was a mistake, and I would get my money back. I enquired about this and was told that the deductions were for airtime and electricity. But, I have no cellphone and buy my own electricity,” Edward says. Since the first one, he has had inconsistent deductions of between R200 and R400. Like millions of beneficiaries, he was also worried that he would not get his money when the contract between SASSA and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), which administers the social grants, was due to expire in April.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
This story is from the June 2017 edition of Bona.
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This story is from the June 2017 edition of Bona.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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