TygerBurger printed an article in our edition of Wednesday 11 October calling on all Sassa beneficiaries to have their Sassa cards renewed by December.
This headline and some of the information contained in the article is not factually correct as it was translated from English to Afrikaans. The printed version has since led to some consternation among worried beneficiaries.
To rectify any misleading information, TygerBurger is publishing the following exact statement as received by the agency’s spokesperson, Shivani Wahab, for our readers’ urgent attention: “The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been made aware that social grant beneficiaries are being advised to take a new bank card, as the SASSA card will expire in December.
“SASSA wants to reassure all social grant beneficiaries that the existing SASSA social grant card (the card with the South African flag colours and Coat of Arms on it) is the only SASSA payment card and will continue to work even beyond the expiry date printed on the card. No beneficiary should therefore be coerced into taking a new card. SASSA only issues one card and does not endorse or support any other bank cards.
“SASSA would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight regarding recent media reports about illegal deductions as well as the expiry of the SASSA card. The SASSA payment card operates like most bank cards and social grant beneficiaries are able to enter into debit order agreements for products/services, and have payments effected from their accounts. Many services, such as marketing of pre-paid airtime, pre-paid electricity and loans are targeted directly at social grant beneficiaries, with the repayments coming off their accounts,” Wahab says.
“The challenge faced by SASSA is that in some cases, the financial products are sold to social grant beneficiaries without them understanding the full implications of what they are agreeing to. When the grant is paid, the loan repayments for products like pre-paid airtime come off before the beneficiary can access the grant, then the beneficiary complains to SASSA. SASSA has gone out of its way to resolve these complaints, in order to assist the beneficiaries.
“SASSA wishes to stress that the only direct deduction from a social grant which is permitted is a deduction for funeral policy premiums which is managed under Regulation 26 (A) of the Social Assistance Act 2004. The regulation allows for one deduction, which may not exceed 10% of the value of the grant, from the adult grants (old age, war veterans and permanent disability grants) only.
“No direct deductions for funeral policy premiums may be effected from any temporary grant or child grant. There are about 700 000 funeral policy deductions which take place monthly. It must be made clear that SASSA does not offer or endorse any funeral policies, however, any qualifying beneficiary is free to take out a policy. Through Regulation 26 (A), SASSA offers a facility for the payment of the monthly premium, but this is done only with the written consent of the beneficiary.
“SASSA wants to reiterate that it does not provide loans, funeral insurance, pre-paid products or any financial services. We provide social grants which are intended to provide a financial support for those who have zero or very little income, to ensure that they have the means to provide the basics for their survival. Anything which erodes the value of the social grant is not supported by SASSA in any way. The public is advised to contact SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 or its Facebook and Twitter pages if uncertain about anything.
“With regards to the Parow Civic Centre pay point, the facility is under renovation. Therefore beneficiaries were informed of the Goodwood venue as the nearest point. Alternatively, beneficiaries can do withdrawals at any Shoprite, certain Pick n Pay or SASSA pay point where there will be no fee incurred for withdrawals. SASSA is committed to ensuring that our clients are treated with dignity and respect.”
TygerBurger apologises for any inconvenience caused by this oversight and wish to assure our loyal readers and Sassa beneficiaries of our continued support.
