An east pensioner is fuming after being charged bank fees on his social grant.
Brian Bird-duss (75) of Constantia Park said it was unfair that the most vulnerable had to pay the fee.
Bird-duss said he was surprised when he incurred charges for making a withdrawal on his pension account on 2 April.
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“When I enquired, I was told the charge was for Grinrod bank to maintain the account.
“I don’t understand how they can take from the vulnerable and poor. This is basically stealing from the poor and giving to the rich.
“That R10 is a lot of money for someone who depends on the grant and has no other form of income. It is a big loss to us dependent on the grant and I hope it is sorted soon,” said the concerned pensioner.
It was recently revealed in parliament that because Sassa had no contract with Grinrod bank, the R10 would have to be deducted from about 5.4 million beneficiaries for maintenance.
Diane Dunkerley of Sassa said over the next three months grant recipients would be transferred from the Grinrod account to Postbank.
Rosemary Capa of the ANC said R10 was “too much” for a beneficiary to lose.
“They will not be prepared for this loss. We need to work out how it will be refunded to them because they must not suffer, it is not their fault this is happening,” said Capa.
Other MPs said better communication to beneficiaries was needed such as SMSes and community meetings so they could be kept abreast of important issues.
DA shadow Minister of Social Development Bridget Masango said it was unfair that the poor had to suffer because of the chronic mismanagement, poor planning and instability at Sassa.
“The chaos at Sassa can only be blamed on former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini who constantly meddled in the affairs of the agency.
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“The DA will continue to push for a parliamentary inquiry into Sassa as it is evident that her replacement, minister Susan Shabangu, does not have the political will to restore good governance practices at Sassa,” said Masango.
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