Cape Times - The Social Development Department and the SA Social Services Agency (Sassa) have opened the doors of five additional venues in efforts to maximise service delivery for the temporary disability grants.
About 43 923 applications were still awaiting assessment while 22 958 have been booked and 4 098 evaluated.
Sassa has been under fire from human rights activists and political parties following chaotic scenes at its branches across the country after it suspended the temporary disability and care dependency grants.
In the Western Cape, about 53 000 people were affected.
Now, allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Sassa regional executive manager, Bandile Maqetuka by an employee its Eastern Cape regional office, is adding to the agency’s woes.
Maqetuka’s suspension comes a few weeks after he briefed the Standing Committee on Social Development over plans to address the challenges.
Standing committee chairperson Gillion Bosman this week said the suspension must not deter Sassa from keeping to its mandate in remedying the crisis.
“It was agreed at the last Standing Committee on Social Development that Sassa will deliver a regular report on their progress in assessing and processing temporary disability grant applicants.
“We will not accept any attempt by Sassa to use Maqetuka’s suspension as a reason to delay processes and transparency in dealing with the current crisis,” said Bosman.
Provincial Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab said steady progress with the disability grant project was being made.
“An additional budget for maximising resources which include doctors conducting assessments, the use of community halls and overtime for staff was secured as part of our service delivery interventions.
“The referral form for completion of clients medical history was made available on the Sassa website for downloading by either client and/or stakeholder assisting the client with the Disability Grant application,” said Wahab.
Sassa offices are operating five days a week at hotspot offices in the Metropole, with the procurement of an additional 2 000 chairs to ensure that clients waiting for assistance are seated in line with physical distancing regulations adhered to.
“Of the 2000 chairs procured, 350 have been delivered so far and have been distributed within Metro Offices where there is a greater need.”
Wahab said additional venues – Delft Civic, Hout Bay Sports and Creation, Beautiful gate in Gugulethu and Rocklands – started operating on Monday while Retreat Civic opened on Tuesday. The Strand Civic centre office will open next month.
“The service provider contracted to manage our national call centre, has been extended to provide services at the regional level in order to ensure that clients do not struggle to get through to any Sassa call centres,” Wahab added.