Thousands of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries faced disappointment this week as technical glitches prevented them from withdrawing their grants from ATMs and retailers. The interruptions left many, especially pensioners, without their much-needed funds.
Postbank, the institution responsible for the disbursement of these funds, acknowledged the technical challenges that affected some SASSA Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant withdrawals within retailers. The bank released a statement on Tuesday, expressing deep understanding of the inconvenience posed by the technical issue to their valued SASSA grants customers. “We apologise unreservedly to all our customers,” the statement read.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) social development spokesperson, Alexandra Abrahams, expressed concern over the situation. She highlighted that Tuesday was allocated for the payment of old age grants, and many seniors had to return home empty-handed after queuing for hours in adverse weather conditions. “We call on the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, to ensure that the problem is immediately fixed to ensure that already vulnerable individuals aren’t plunged deeper into crisis,” Abrahams stated.
Hout Bay community activist, Roscoe Jacobs, voiced his frustration, emphasizing that this wasn’t the first time such an incident had occurred. He called for accountability from the ministers responsible for SASSA and the Postbank. “This is a violation of the rights and dignity of our elderly. We can’t just accept a letter stating they are sorry, and then a few months later we sit with the same problem,” Jacobs remarked.
On a positive note, Postbank announced on Wednesday that it had fully restored ATM SASSA grant transactions. However, the restoration of transactions inside various retailers nationwide is still ongoing. This isn’t the first time Postbank has faced such challenges. In November 2022 and January, beneficiaries faced similar issues accessing their money due to technical problems.
The glitches have raised concerns about the reliability of the system and the need for more robust measures to ensure that beneficiaries can access their grants without interruptions. As the situation develops, many are hopeful that measures will be put in place to prevent future disruptions.
