What was meant to be a joyous festive season turned bleak for a 68-year-old Benoni pensioner after she failed to receive her social grant in November and December.

Benoni City Times reports that the elderly woman, who asked to remain anonymous, relies on the grant as her only source of income.

She said she had hoped to enjoy the festive period like any other family, but her expectations were dashed when the payments did not reflect.

This left her struggling to buy food and other basic necessities, forcing her to depend on the support of her children.

The situation, she explained, caused significant emotional distress during a time usually associated with celebration.

“The purpose of Sassa is to ensure that the elderly and disabled do not go to bed hungry, but many still do, even after submitting reviews in mid-November. This is gross neglect and emotional abuse of the needy,” she says.

The woman, a former educator, said she was turned away from the Sassa Benoni office in November after officials requested a letter from the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) as proof that she does not receive any government income.

She says she had visited the offices on previous occasions but was not informed that such a letter was required.

“We had to ask my children for petrol money so we could drive to the GEPF offices to request the document,” she says.

She adds that the experience at the Sassa office has been exhausting, with beneficiaries often standing in queues for five to six hours before being assisted, only to sometimes be turned away due to long queues.

The pensioner, who has been receiving a social grant since January last year, believes her review documents were not processed on time.

When she visited the Sassa offices in December, she was told she’ll only receive payments in January, leaving her financially strained.

“It’s not only me facing this problem. There were many other elderly people in the queue who were experiencing the same situation,” she says.

For the past two months, she and her husband have survived solely on her husband’s grant, which she said is insufficient.

“We didn’t enjoy our festive period at all,” she says.

Sassa responds

Gauteng Sassa communications officer Sesame Kgabi says the agency apologises for the inconvenience caused.

“We apologise and fully understand how important it is for our beneficiaries to receive their Sassa grants on time, without any disruptions.

“We take these reports seriously and want to assure you that we are actively investigating the issue based on the details provided,” Kgabi says.

She added that Sassa conducts ongoing reviews to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries receive their grants and remains committed to resolving such matters as quickly as possible.

Kgabi further requested that the Benoni City Times provide the ID number of the affected beneficiary to assist with investigations.

We have since forwarded the complainant’s ID details to the department.

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