Residents flock to youth centre after councillor calls for Sassa outreach
When Diepsloot residents were forced to spend their last rands on taxis to queue for hours at Sassa offices in Midrand, Ward 95 councillor Julius Maake decided enough was enough, bringing those services to them.
Ward 95 councillor Julius Maake knows the daily struggles the people in Diepsloot all too well.
Determined to make a real difference, he has turned his focus into a personal mission by bringing essential government services closer to the community so residents no longer have to suffer long, expensive trips just to get help.
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Together with his team, they managed to get officials from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to help the community on May 14 at the youth centre. This was achieved through the integrated community registration outreach programme under Sassa.
Maake said he saw how his community was struggling, and knew something needed to be done.
“I noticed that a lot of our community members were queuing at Sassa offices in Midrand, and with that, it requires a lot of money for transportation, so I knew I had to do something about it.”
The programme was also supported by the Community Policing Forum, as residents arrived in large numbers from early morning to take part.
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The social security agency runs an annual integrated community registration outreach programme, which brings its services directly to communities located far from its offices.
One of the Sassa team members, Mmakgomo Sekgala, said there were several reasons for bringing the programme to the area.
“We are here to offer our services to the community, such as all social grants, social relief of distress, and reviews.”
The team from Sassa confirmed they will return to Diepsloot on May 18, 27, and 28 to assist remaining applicants, as turnout was high.
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