Minister drags her feet with new SASSA office for Kempton
‘SASSA needs to be at the forefront to assist the most vulnerable in our society’ - Waters
KEMPTON Park has been without a South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) office for the past five years, yet, the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, keeps dodging questions about when and where the new office will be opened.
Michael Waters, MP DA deputy chief whip in the National Assembly and Lethabong Constituency Head, said he was going to take this issue up with the chairperson of the portfolio committee on social development in parliament to request the minister be called before the committee to explain when she intends to open the much-needed SASSA office.
The office was initially closed in 2012.
“The department has been dragging its feet in opening a new office,” Waters said in a statement last week.
“In 2015 the minister stated in a parliamentary reply that, ‘[the] South African Social Security Agency has initiated a procurement process to acquire office accommodation through the Department of Public Works at the beginning of this financial year’. It was envisaged that this office would have been re-opened in the third quarter of 2014/2015 financial year. However due to non-responses of suitable bidders, this has since not materialised as envisaged,” Waters said.
In May 2016 the Minister stated, “SASSA, Gauteng Region, through The National Department of Public Works (NDPW), is in the process of acquiring permanent office accommodation for the Kempton Park area. The submission of bidding documents has since closed. Three (3) weeks ago SASSA was requested to view a possible facility, which was The Trust Bank Building, same is considered suitable. The NDPW has indicated its commitment to accelerate and finalise the entire process of acquisition in a speedy manner.”
In February 2017 she stated, “The Agency has submitted its request to the National Department of Public Works (NDPW) to facilitate the process of acquiring permanent office accommodation for the Kempton Park area. The Department of Public Works reported that a lack of responses from potential service providers initially delayed the process. However, the Department of Public Works has reported that the procurement process is now at an advanced stage as the submission for entering into a lease agreement with the recommended service provider has been routed to the Director General for approval / disapproval. SASSA now awaits feedback from the Department.”
Waters said: “None of the aforementioned written replies indicate a timeline against which the department will hold itself accountable for opening a SASSA office. It is clear that the department is simply dragging its feet at the expense of the most vulnerable as there is plenty of office space available in the Kempton Park CBD.”
He then went on to say, “SASSA ought to be at the forefront to assist the most vulnerable in our society. Officials must be able to support those who need pensions, child support grants, disability grants or foster care grants. The DA will continue to monitor the progress in establishing a new SASSA office in Kempton Park to meet this urgent need.”
