Nearly 50 percent of SASSA applications removed
This as it had to remove duplicate and incomplete applications, which accounted for almost half of all applications received.
Sassa has removed about 50 percent of all the applications they have received for the Covid-19 social distress relief grant.
This as it had to remove duplicate and incomplete applications, which accounted for almost half of all applications received.
We received just under five million applications for this new grant, said Sassa CEO Totsie Memela.
“We had to compare information provided by applicants with other government and private databases to ensure that people with an income and recipients of other social grants were not included.”
Up to now, we have eliminated several undeserving applicants.
This has saved us almost R14- million, which could have skyrocketed to over R81-million by October.
As soon as the vetting of applications is completed, the payments will start rolling in at an even faster pace.
READ MORE: Seven arrested for Sassa card fraud in Pretoria
He, however, extended an unreserved apology to those inconvenienced by the slower than expected process.
Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the agency would now be able to accelerate the pace of paying out the relief grant, as the country would be moving to level 3 lockdown.
Letsatsi said the move to level 3 meant that government services would commence full reopening from 1 June.
At the moment, Sassa is operating with a third of its staff under level 4.
A move to level 3 will increase human resource capacity drastically so that payments are made quicker than it is the case currently.
He said there was much progress made in preparing for the payment of large numbers of the Covid-19 grants.
He said Sassa also started using WhatsApp for applications, but had to move to other platforms such as the srd.sassa.gov.za website and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD).
Letsatsi said this was due to the WhatsApp system being flooded with unprecedented numbers of applications per hour, which it struggled to cope with.
READ MORE: Sassa grant payment dates changed
The situation was also made worse by applicants trying to upload supporting documents through the various platforms, despite this not being necessary.
Sassa has, however, managed to stabilise the channels and application processes now went smoother.
He also added that unbanked applicants would be paid through the use of an ATM of their choice.
Sassa will finalise contracting for this facility with the banks on Monday so that such payments can be made this week.
Beneficiaries can also open accounts at their nearest post office.
Letsatsi said it was important for Sassa to only start paying out the grant after tight systems were established and tested to avoid wasteful expenditure and fraud.
He said it was a mammoth task and not as easy as it has been made out to be in media circles.
Citizens were reminded that no applications for the Covid-19 relief grant would be taken at Sassa offices because only electronic applications were accepted.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, local Sassa offices strictly attend to applications for old age grants.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays, it attends to applications for child support grants and foster child grants.
Fridays are reserved for admin purposes as well as to deal with referred cases from previous days.
READ MORE: Hercules CPF protect elderly at Sassa paypoints
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