THE South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has advised social grant beneficiaries to avoid collecting their grants on the first day of payment as the country fights against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Beneficiaries are requested to avoid collecting their grants on the first day of payment due to the high pedestrian traffic at shopping malls and other outlets. Once SASSA has paid money into a beneficiary’s account, the money will stay there and can be accessed at any day of the month instead of taking a health risk of visiting an outlet on the first day of the month,” SASSA said in a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the Coronavirus outbreak a national state of disaster on Sunday.
The Presidents also announced a number of interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa, including amongst others, a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people.
Related COVID-19 news: Durban North listed as possible Covid-19 quarantine site
“Where a client is above 75 years of age and is bedridden and unable to report to a SASSA office, an application process can be completed under section 15 and Regulation 10 (1) of Social Assistant Act, 2004 to have a procurator or proxy apply on behalf of the affected client.
“The chosen procurator must be appointed in writing and produce that letter together with all their documents including identity card so that the application can be processed. The application will follow normal process,” SASSA explained.
Local office managers will ensure that the allowed number per day rule is adhered to so that no more than 100 people are served at a time.
The number will depend on the size of the waiting area.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. 
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
