‘Why did SASSA stop my grant?’
A DISABLED, unemployed woman from Mogatle village in Zebediela near Lebowakgomo is angry with the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) after her disability grant was cancelled without any explanation two years ago.
LIMPOPO – A DISABLED, unemployed woman from Mogatle village in Zebediela near Lebowakgomo is angry with the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) after her disability grant was cancelled without any explanation two years ago.
Esther Nthlane (31), a mother of two, said not receiving the grant any longer was affecting her a lot.
She said she started receiving her disability grant in 2007 after collapsing and sustaining serious injuries to her leg. According to her, she received a disability grant on a provisional basis until it was converted to a permanent grant a year later after several medical examination reports.
“In 2013 I was dumfounded to discover that my grant was cancelled without any reason. When I tried seeking clarity from Sassa officers, they sent me from pillar to post. They told me that I was no longer eligible to receive the grant as I might be able to walk again. I have medical confirmation from a physiotherapist at Zebediela Hospital that I will never walk again. We are five in the family including my mother, brother, my two children. All my family members are unemployed,” she said.
DA Limpopo spokesperson on women, youth and disability, Katlego Suzan Phala, said withdrawing the grant of a disabled person was an unacceptable deed of cruelty.
She said it was a clear indication that Sassa made up the rules as it went along.
“The DA has written to social development MEC, Joyce Mashamba, seeking her immediate intervention to investigate the matter and take the necessary steps against the officials who are blocking the grant. We will be embarking on a massive campaign to visit all the disability centres and schools across the province to check their living conditions, and aim to intervene on the challenges they encounter on a daily basis,” Phala said.
Sassa Limpopo spokesperson, Zwannda Kutama, said most of the people who complained were those who received tempo-rary grants. He said temporary grants were for people who were unfit to work for a certain period of time. Temporary disability grants lasted for six months. He said Nthlane should go back to her nearest Sassa office and consult a doctor for reassessment.
