A DURBAN pensioner is warning others to be aware of any missing funds from their pension payout.
According to Kathy D’Alton, when she went to draw her pension last month, she was told that the full amount was not available, and discovered R300 was missing. Thinking back, she said she had remembered on two occasions last year where she had been R50 short, but had thought at the time that her calculations had been wrong.
“When I saw this time that R300 was missing, I contacted the SASSA branch in Pietermaritzburg and was told the R300 was used to buy airtime and pre-paid electricity. I don’t need either, as I live in a retirement centre! I was told there was another amount due to be taken off at the end of this month, which couldn’t be stopped. The person from SASSA said I was to go to the police to get an affidavit, to take to the local SASSA office,” said D’Alton.
She said the person from SASSA she had spoken to had informed her that a person could call a certain number of a Vodacom network and give an ID number, and purchase airtime and pre-paid electricity.
“Apparently they can choose how much, and this is taken directly out of the account! I called Wendy Knowler’s helpline last week and there was a big response to the issue, with many people calling in saying it had happened to them. One 85-year-old woman said she had had money taken off her pension for airtime, and she didn’t even have a cellphone!” she said.
D’Alton was told this had happened in Cape Town last year and people were now targeting pensioners in KZN.
“I can only think this is internal and someone is just picking names on the system and making purchases using their ID numbers. This can’t continue, no one is going to carry on stealing from me!” she said.
She said she had contacted a very helpful woman at Durban’s SASSA office who said her ID number would be blacklisted, so no one could use it again and the payment would be sorted out at the end of the month.
“I was told they would reimburse me. I was very grateful for this woman’s help. I just hope other people come forward as well, as I feel I can help others with my story. Some people are not in the position to know what to do in this case,” said D’Alton.
The DA’s Rishigen Virana, who sits on the Portfolio Committee for Social Development, said this was a huge problem across the province.
“Some people are having large amounts of money deducted from their pension for airtime, electricity and even life insurance. This is something that has been brought to our attention on the portfolio committee and is something we are taking very seriously,” he said.
Virana said the committee has called for an investigation to be taken by SASSA against people taking advantage of pensioners.
“SASSA is doing a massive education drive to inform beneficiaries and trying to make them aware of this issue. A reclaiming process is happening where beneficiaries can appeal deductions, and there is recourse for them to be reimbursed after SASSA has investigated the claims,” he said.
Virana urged any pensioners who had noticed deductions to go to their local SASSA office to lay a complaint which would be investigated.
“Around R3 million to R4 million has been reimbursed in these cases. We also warn pensioners who are using their SASSA cards to be careful about who approaches them as one of the ways money is being taken is by people duping them into signing forms for deductions to start against their accounts,” said Virana.
