KAMAQHEKEZA – Most South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) beneficiaries claim that their payouts are withdrawn at one of the supermarket chain stores at the Nkomazi Plaza.
Eighty-two-year-old Gogo Nyakwabe Lubisi is one of the complainants who allegedly gave her card and pin to a cashier at the store on March 6.
According to Lubisi, she asked the cashier to assist her as she was illiterate and had no one to accompany her.
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She was shocked to discover her monthly payout had been withdrawn and was given a card that did not belong to her when enquiring at the district offices in Tonga.
“On the day my money disappeared I had given the woman who was assisting me the card and the secret pin. She then told me my card had a problem and that I should go to the post office. They referred me to the Sassa district offices but I had no money left and decided to go the following day. I was shocked when I was told a transaction had been done the previous day and that the card I had was not mine.”
Her son, who resides in Johannesburg, said he reported the matter to the store and was promised it would be investigated.
“I am just a pensioner and I thought she would help and now I do not know what to do because I depend on that money.
I only hope the problem can be solved since I am not the only person who has experienced this,” Lubisi said.
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Mpumalanga News sent an enquiry to the store where the alleged unauthorised withdrawal was done but they did not respond at the time of going to press.
Sassa’s Senzeni Ngobeni confirmed that in such instances payment can be traced if a fraud case has been opened with the police at the area where the crime was committed.
“Beneficiaries face challenges monthly and I want to encourage them to report any crimes to the police.
Once Lubisi opens a case, a criminal investigation will resume which will involve among other methods of investigation, scrutinising and assessment of video footage.
Sassa does not investigate criminal cases, it refers them to the police, who will get to the bottom of the case.”
Tonga police’s Capt Mangonseni Nkosi said the matter is a national problem and they are making efforts to crack down on the syndicates.
