Pretoria – The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has urged grant beneficiaries who have already re-registered for their grant so they can get the new SASSA payment card with a chip and PIN to ignore delayed letters they receive in the mail.
“SASSA sent out these letters just before the postal strike started requesting beneficiaries to register on specific dates. The post office strike delayed the sending out of these letters and they are currently being delivered in an effort to clear the postal backlog. Some beneficiaries have only started receiving these letters in the past three weeks instead of about three months back,” explained SASSA’s Kgomoco Diseko in a statement on Monday.
Diseko said most beneficiaries had by now re-registered and were flooding SASSA offices thinking their grants would be suspended if they did not present themselves.
“Beneficiaries who have re-registered need not heed the call emanating from such letters because their grants will not be negatively affected,” he said.
Government has been rolling out the new biometric-based payment solution for social grants. The system forms part of government’s commitment to strengthen, modernise and improve the integrity of the social security system and to eliminate all forms of fraud and corruption.
The re-registration deadline has been extended by a month until the end of April 2013 by the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini.
However, he said that those who have not re-registered any type of grant by now and are not in possession of the new card needs to present themselves and their children receiving child grants, if applicable.
As from next month, SASSA will send out registered letters indicating an intention to suspend grants of people who shall not have, re-registered by the end of April 2013. This is in line with The Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000 (Act 3 of 2000).
Beneficiaries who encounter any of the above problems can call the 0800 60 01 60 toll free number to receive assistance. – SAnews.gov.za
