Initiative launched to support SASSA recipients
Friends and neighbours team up to support elderly SASSA recipients on their monthly trek to collect their pensions.
Thousands of SASSA pensioners across the Roodepoort region spend an entire day every month standing in a long queue to collect their pension money.
Residents Nicole Mac Hattie and close friend Tony Helfrich have launched an initiative to support elderly SASSA recipients by visiting SASSA offices and handing out sandwiches, coffee, rusks and other items.
Nicole knows what it is to live from hand to mouth. Being a SASSA recipient herself and having lived on the streets in Cape Town for seven years, she intimately understands human suffering, hunger, and hopelessness.
Now standing on firmer ground, Nicole, looking for a way to make a worthwhile difference in the world, approached friend and landlord Tony and set her idea in motion.
“The idea is to offer warm hospitality, friendly engagement and acknowledgement to elderly residents in our communities who often feel ignored by the system and frustrated at having to spend long hours queueing for their meagre income,” she says.
“People arrive at SASSA offices long before dawn to secure a spot in the line, braving dangerous dark streets to get there, and often cold or rainy weather while queueing.
“I speak from experience when I say the line never moves quickly, and you often spend the best part of the day on your feet, hungry, thirsty and tired while waiting your turn.”
According to Tony, a longtime member of the Wilro Lions Club, the plan is to choose a different location within the Roodepoort region every month.
“I think a snack, a cup of coffee, and a couple of minutes of friendly, encouraging conversation would go a long way under such circumstances,” he says.
Nicole and Tony say they’ve concluded the planning phase of their initiative and have now moved on to fundraising.
“We’re collecting anything that may be of use,” says Nicole. From coffee to food items, cups and packaging for the sandwiches, pots to warm soup in, gas warmers, napkins, or even warm blankets that can be distributed.
“We’re also calling for volunteers to step forward and help us,” she adds.
If you would like to contribute to this initiative, contact Nicole on 071 836 8775.
