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Mitchells Plain se Sassa pensioners left in lurch again

Mitchell’s Plain pensioners have not received their pension for July 2024 and say they are fed up with SASSA and the “constant misdirection” by local SASSA officials.

Last week, pensioners were unable to receive their monthly grants as there is no Post Office in Mitchells Plain.

SASSA representatives in Mitchells Plain note that the money was paid into Post Bank and queries must be directed to them.

The area’s Post Office was shut down last year due to financial difficulties and has not been reopened.

Mitchell’s Plain resident, Sandra Goldschmidt, says: “I went to the Grassy Park Post Office for three days, which were the 1st and 2nd of July. I was advised by officials that the system was off-line and will only be functional on Friday, the 5th.

“When I returned to the Post Office on Friday, I was told that there’s a glitch with the system and our money went out of the account; and that an investigation was being done.”

The pensioner says Post Office officials advised them that it will take up to two or three months to receive their money.

Also, that only pensioners with the old SASSA yellow card are affected, not individuals with personal bank accounts.

A fed-up Sandra says: “The government must please reopen our Post Office in Mitchells Plain because we are suffering. I am a pensioner, and it costs me R60 per day to travel with a taxi to collect my pension. I was also not aware that I should rather open a bank account.”

But Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab, says Sassa and Postbank had announced the phasing-out of physical cash payment points (CPPs), and cash withdrawal of social grants inside Post Offices in 2023 already, which came into effect in January 2024.

“This move aims to improve the overall customer experience and address challenges such as cash-in-transit heists, unfavourable conditions at CPP sites, and closure and capacity challenges at post offices,” Wahab says.

“As of December 2023, 98% of SASSA beneficiaries had already used various NPS channels to withdraw their social grants.”

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Cape Town 23-4-2023 Mitchells Plain SASSA .Sassa .pic Patrick
Mitchells Plain se Sassa pensioners left in lurch again Picture: Rafieka Williams/Cape Argus

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