Sassa pension and disability grant crisis hits Ladysmith pensioners hard
Speaking to elderly people in town, many of them said that when they went to collect their grants, they were told there was no money
The social grant crisis that has hit 17 million people in South Africa has set off panic and heartache for thousands who rely on government grants in the Ladysmith area.
The crisis comes after a ruling by the Constitutional Court in April 2014 that the South African Social Security Agency’s (Sassa) contract with Cash Paymasters Services (CPS) for the payment of social grants is invalid.
Sassa has been ordered by the court to create and implement the in-sourcing of social grant payments by March 31.
Sassa have agreed to new contract terms over a two-year period, but need the National Treasury’s approval for the agreement.
Speaking to elderly people in town, many of them said that when they went to collect their money, they were told there was no money and that nothing could be done for them.
They are hoping to receive a double payment this month, as some got their grant payouts and some did not get anything at all.
Mr Ramcharder and Mrs Ashnie Ramlagan are hoping for the best when it comes to their payouts. They are over 60 years old and have been receiving grants for the past five years. “We have to pay our bills!” they say.
This is the only money they get and without it, they will suffer and find it difficult to manage. They, like many others, survive on their grant money and need that money to survive.
A single mother of three whose only source of income is her social services grant says that should this problem not be sorted out, she doesn’t know how she will feed her children.
The grant issue has created pandemonium in the minds of the elderly and they are hoping the issue will be sorted out so they can get their money.
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