Sassa fails a senior citizen
Senior citizen living in an informal settlement is denied pension money for eight months
Msawawa informal settlement resident Mantshadi Mokopane (68) has not received her pension money and two child grants for her grandchildren for eight months. The informal settlement is situated near Kya Sand.
According to Mokopane the problem began when she and her grandchildren were fingerprinted by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) as part of its newly-established biometric grant disbursement system.
“It has now been eight months since I got my pension money. I do not know how the agency expects me to live as I have nothing. The agency wrote me a letter telling me to renew my application for my pension and for my grandchildren’s grant. I have done that several times and nothing has changed,” said Mokopane.
Kids in Need, an NGO that provides basic groceries and clothes to some of the shack dwellers in the settlement, has been helping Mokopane and her children.
“When we heard of Mokopane, we immediately got involved. We worked together with the Fourways Community Church to help the family the best way we can,’ Mike Stanley, the organisation’s chairperson said.
Ward 96 councillor Matome Mafokwane said, “I am very thankful to Stanley and his organisation for helping the community of Msawawa. I hope more people would do the same thing. We will definitely look into Mokopane’s matter, and find out what happened with her money. I will do my best to help her.”
No comment from Sassa or the Department of Social Development was received at the time of going to print.
Details: Mike Stanley mike@aavi.co.za, South African Social Security Agency 012 400 2000.
