AN Marcon, Benoni, writes:
A visit to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) Benoni office on June 1 was allegedly met with a discriminatory and intimidating approach by security personnel.

As a pensioner applying for a grant, I arrived at the offices at 13:30.

Upon entering the building, I asked the security guards on duty where I must sit to wait for a pensioner’s grant application to be completed, which is my human right as a South African.

The person in question rudely replied to wait outside; a representative from Sassa will call to allow me into the actual office. Where is the dignity?

I was forced to go, as dictated by security guards, to join a line of souls who had been waiting since 07:00 to be called to complete their applications.

We live in a fair, unbiased, and constitutional rights country, yet the appalling violation of human rights and dignity I witnessed at the Sassa branch is shocking.

How are the souls I shared time with ever going to be fast-tracked to simply complete our application for a pensioner’s grant?

Editor’s note: Lungelo Mkamba, senior manager of communication and marketing SASSA Gauteng Region, replied:

We take all concerns regarding service delivery seriously and remain committed to treating all clients with dignity, respect and fairness.

We regret the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the client and apologise for any negativity encountered while seeking assistance from the agency. As a standard practice, clients are first received and screened before being directed to the appropriate service point.

This process is intended to ensure orderly queue management, verify the purpose of the visit, improve service efficiency and prevent overcrowding within the office. It is not intended to deny any client access to services.

The Benoni local office is a high-volume service point that assists a significant number of clients daily. On the day in question, the office was attending not only to older persons, but also to approximately 40 disability grant clients who had appointments for assessments and applications. In addition, the office was managing increased client volumes associated with the ongoing social grant review process.

To manage client flow effectively, an early riser official reports for duty from 06:30 each morning to organise queues and issue Queue Management System (QMS) tickets.

Clients are admitted into the office from approximately 07:00, with services commencing at 07h30.

A dedicated customer care official and queue manager continuously monitor the movement of clients into the office as seating becomes available, while the customer care supervisor regularly engages with clients waiting outside, providing information on available services, online application platforms and addresses any concerns raised.

We acknowledge that waiting in queues can be frustrating. To improve the client experience and reduce waiting times, the agency has implemented several interventions that bring services closer to communities.

With respect to allegations regarding the conduct of security personnel, the matter has been addressed. It has been reiterated that security personnel should not engage clients on service related matters, rather referring such enquiries to the designated customer care official, who will escalate the matter to the supervisor or team leader where further intervention is required.

The management of the local office will continue to engage with all relevant officials and reinforce the importance of professional client service, effective queue management and respectful engagement with all beneficiaries and applicants.

We encourage clients who experience service-related challenges to report them directly to the supervisors and managers of any office, so that it can be promptly addressed and resolved. We remain committed to improving access to social assistance services and ensuring that all clients are treated with dignity, courtesy and respect.

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