Sassa explains lockdown processes

Sassa services were reinstated on May 11, and due to Covid-19 local offices have adopted a risk adjustment approach to reintroduce the services at local levels.

Sassa’s senior manager of communication Nandi Mosia said no personal enquiries or applications for social relief of distress grants will be done at local offices.

These can be done over the phone by calling the regional call centres.

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The services were introduced as follows:

Mondays and Tuesdays:

• Old-age applications focused on clients who turned 60 just before lockdown or during lockdown and who did not get an opportunity to apply, as well as those who have lost employment as a result of the pandemic and have no income.

Wednesdays and Thursdays:

• Child support and foster child grant applications, focused on applications for newborns, children of parents who have lost employment and have no income or where caregivers has passed away and a new caregiver must apply.

Fridays:

Reserved for outstanding cases from the above categories, which include:

• Finalise applications which were not completed prior to lockdown.

• This will include disability applications where the assessments were complete prior to lockdown, but the application was not done.

• Clients will be called in by appointment to complete the process.

Mosia added that no service related to card issuing, re-issuing or PIN resets will be undertaken at Sassa local offices.

“Clients will be referred to the nearest post office for these services,” she said.

The reintroduction of services has left residents with mixed emotions about their experiences at the Benoni office in Elston Avenue.

A 65-year-old pensioner said that she had been there several times to apply for the “new” old-age grant and found that it was disorganised, there was no communication and also no chairs for people to sit on.

They were also continuously turned away without being helped.

Connie Mpondo of Daveyton said she is happy with the way the office is run, even though she had been waiting in a line since 5.40am because she believes the earlier she gets there the faster she can get back home.

The following safety measures should be observed when visiting the Sassa office:

• No children to be allowed in local offices during the lockdown.

• All clients visiting local offices to wear face masks.

• All people accessing these premises should be screened, hand santitised and sign an access register.

Residents are urged to visit the offices on the correct days to receive the correct service.