Stakeholders work together to ensure August social grant payments after unrest
Social grant recipients will be able to use any ATM, including those not operated by their own bank, without incurring additional charges, from August 1 to September 30.
Banks, retailers and the South African Post Office (SAPO) are working with the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to ensure that there are cash and grant pay points within a reasonable distance of beneficiaries in the areas where banking, SAPO and retail infrastructure has been destroyed.
This does not mean that all grant beneficiaries will be able to make use of their usual cash withdrawal points, which may have been vandalised and not yet repaired.
To assist social grant recipients who live in areas where ATMs, and branches have been destroyed, customers will be able to use any ATM, including those not operated by their own bank, without incurring additional charges, from August 1 to September 30.
Sassa distributes 2 012 894 old-age pensions, child support and disability grants in Gauteng and 2 669 885 in KwaZulu-Natal.
Across the country, 12.5 million social grants are paid using banking infrastructure, every month.
Over 1 400 automatic teller machines (ATMs) and 269 bank branches were vandalised or destroyed in the unrest. Of the ATMs, 565 were in Gauteng and 650 in KZN. Of the branches, 126 were in Gauteng and 140 were in KZN. Despite the disruption of cashpoints, there is currently no shortage of cash in the affected areas.
Banks are still in the process of assessing the damage to their infrastructure and developing recovery plans. An indicative average replacement cost of an ATM in South Africa is R385 000, with additional installation costs.
These costs can vary greatly for any individual ATM and not every vandalised ATM will need to be replaced. The replacement or refurbishment costs of a bank branch are likely to be significantly higher.
Social grant payment dates for August:
Older persons grants – Tuesday, August 3. This includes child grants linked to these grants.
Disability grants – Wednesday, August 4. This includes child grants linked to these grants.
Child support, foster child and care dependency grants – Thursday, August 5.
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