Cape Town - The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) has finally resumed services in Khayelitsha after residents had to bear the brunt of lack of planning and poor communication.
Thousands of Sassa grant recipients in and around the area were left in the lurch for nearly three weeks after the branch closed suddenly for renovations without notice.
Sassa has been sharing the building with the provincial Department of Social Development’s (DSD) for more than a decade.
DSD made alternative arrangements to continue providing services to the residents.
According to provincial Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab, operations were up and running at the Khulani Resource Centre last Wednesday.
“Sassa is in the process of securing additional sites in Khayelitsha, to extend services to the community. Details for these additional sites will be made available in due course. We acknowledge that there was a temporary service interruption emanating from the fact that Sassa had to seek alternate premises in Khayelitsha. Sassa does not own any sites in Khayelitsha.
“Accommodation space is shared with the provincial DSD. During the second phase of the quarter of 2021, Sassa was informed of maintenance to the shared site, however timelines were never confirmed. Sassa then began the process of seeking alternate sites in Khayelitsha by engaging the City of Cape Town,” said Wahab.
She said many sites that were identified were deemed non-compliant in respect of occupational health and safety.
“During the service interruption in Khayelitsha, a contingency plan was implemented to ensure business continuity. Staff from the Khayelitsha office were redeployed to other sites in the Metro. A priority queue specifically for all clients from Khayelitsha was also established at these sites. Sassa apologises to clients for any inconvenience. We remain committed to fulfil our constitutional mandate, to serve the most vulnerable, in a secure environment,” said Wahab.
Thandi Henkeman, Western Cape regional manager for Black Sash, welcomed the resumption of services.
“We were very concerned about the closure and wanted to see an immediate plan to address it. The closure had created unexpected difficulty in accessing social grants as well as placing an unforeseen financial burden on beneficiaries who had to bear the cost of the transportation to alternative Sassa sites in order to receive services. We are yet to see the facility but we will do so soon. A meeting has been set up with Sassa management. This will then also pose an opportunity to raise concerns.”
Cape Times