Sassa announces payment date changes for July

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has created two payment tranches to ensure compliance with the disaster management regulations and to protect the vulnerable from the month-end rush.

The staggering of social grant payments was implemented last month but according to the press release sent out by Sassa last week, the date for the pension and disability grant payments is now from 3 July, while child support, foster child and care dependency grants will be paid from 6 July.

Payment at cash pay points will commence from 7 July, until 16 July.

The agency also said in a Tweet that there is no fixed payment date for the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) of R350.

“The applicant will be paid for each month as long as they still meet the qualification criteria. Every month the application will be verified to ensure that the applicant still qualifies for that particular month,” Sassa said.

There is no fixed payment date for the special Covid-19 SRD grant. The applicant will be paid for each month as long as they still meet the qualification criteria. Every month the application will be verified to ensure that the applicant still qualifies for that particular month.

— SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) June 23, 2020

Due to long queues during the lockdown in May, the Sassa grant payout days were changed to protect the elderly.

Disability grants, as well as those for the elderly were paid on the fourth, while others were paid on the sixth.

However, chaos ensued, including a situation in Dobsonville, Soweto, where a group of young people pushed the elderly out of the way to get to the pay points first.

“In response to this unpleasant experience, Sassa started consulting role players such as the National Treasury, South African Post Office, the banking association, retailers, and consumer goods council among others.

“What came out of the consultations were that people with disabilities and the aged needed to be protected from the month-end rush at payment outlets and therefore payment needs to be staggered in such a way that these categories of beneficiaries receive their grants before others.

“To effect this, Sassa will make use of two payment files. The first one will cover the aged and the disabled, while the second will cover all other grant types,” said Sassa CEO Busisiwe Memela.

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