Tens of lots of households face a bleak Christmas after the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) failed to pay out the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.

Many R350 furnish beneficiaries stated they had been ready for repayments on account that the commencing of December, however they have but to be successful.

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“I can’t trust that Sassa is doing this to us. Daily, I have obtained shut to 200 complaints from beneficiaries whose functions have been authorised however have but to acquire the money. Most beneficiaries will have a black Christmas,” stated a #PayTheGrants co-ordinator, Elizabeth Raiters.

Raiters stated co-ordinators throughout the united states have been dealing with comparable volumes of complaints.

PayTheGrants is a countrywide marketing campaign to put in force the prevalent simple earnings provide (UBIG).

Raiters accused the authorities of “failing and ignoring the poor” and no longer looking for options to the technical and administrative issues that proceed to check the charge of grants.

A Philippi beneficiary who did no longer choose to be named stated she has became away on December 21 at one of the outlets due to the fact they claimed there was once no cash in “her card”.

They advised her to return the following week “to attempt again”, solely at a precise time.

“Hunger does now not wait that long. My daughter and I will no longer have meals for Christmas,” she said.

Raiters stated different complaints raised by using beneficiaries had been delays triggered with the aid of Sassa in making choices on applications.

“A majority of humans complained that their functions had been nonetheless pending approval.

And now they have ignored the two fee cycles for the month. The subsequent issue Sassa will do is to press the decline button – it has come to be their default response.”

Some of the SRD supply beneficiaries are nevertheless waiting for repayments from as some distance again as April and May. Their hopes have been dashed as they notion they would acquire the repayments this month.

“I do not be aware of when the penny will drop with the officers that the stage of starvation amongst the terrible has risen. While the provide might also be viewed as too little, it continues to be the solely profits lifeline for bad and unemployed people,” introduced Raiters.

Approximately eleven million human beings remember on the SRD provide to purchase the most simple of requirements to aid with their survival.

At his medium-term finances coverage statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stated the furnish for unemployed adults would run till the cease of March 2024 however this extension has supposed little for these who are nonetheless waiting.

The Department of Social Development contracts Postbank for the charge of gives you after a failed contract with the South African Post Office.

Some beneficiaries get hold of their can provide via the typical monetary institutions, whilst others get hold of them via Postbank.

However, in accordance to some other #PayTheGrants co-ordinator, Nathan Taylor, it regarded that there have been no clear policies between Postbank and shops guiding the fee of the grants, specifically with the Postbank cards.

Postbank defined that all Sassa beneficiaries with Postbank gold playing cards have been capable to get right of entry to their cash thru shops and ATMs.

However, the ATM repayments had been suspended and the beneficiaries had been compelled to get admission to their can provide at outlets due to the fact of a card-related fraud threat.

Postbank’s spokesperson, Dr Bongani Diako, stated the enterprise had paid all the cash into the beneficiaries’ accounts.

“Following interventions from cybercrime professionals and controls put in place, we envisage that the get admission to to cash by ATMs will be reachable in the oncoming repayments period,” stated Diako.

Taylor stated some shops put a restrict on the quantity that they should dispense. Many beneficiaries complained that even if they had proof with pay dates, they had been being informed that the transaction had been declined or there was once no cash in their account.

“The technical issues want to be resolved quickly as they are inflicting difficulty to people,“ Taylor said.

Sassa denied that it had now not paid the grants.

“Sassa is up to date with all repayments that it can make. December repayments have been processed for all candidates who certified and whose price small print are up to date. Every month Sassa re-runs the preceding month payments,“ stated spokesperson Moabi Pitsi.

However, Raiters stated Sassa refused to take accountability for the failures.

“If the repayments and approvals had been smooth, beneficiaries would now not complain. They have to take accountability and work on discovering options that will deal with beneficiaries with dignity,” Raiters said.