Social Security Agency (Sassa) service point and offices
4 July 2007
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) broke new ground in
previously neglected areas when it opened a service point and new offices in
the Nieuwoudtville town of the Northern Cape this morning. The Sassa Acting
Regional Manager Mr Nogwili declared that the Nieuwoudtville community will
receive a full time service on a Monday to Friday basis. In the past, social
grant beneficiaries had to travel more than 70 kilometres to receive their
grants in neighbouring Calvinia.
He further added that the next target for infrastructure development would
be the Kgalagadi district which the Northern Cape recently took over from North
West region of Sassa as part of abolition of cross boundary municipalities. The
development was welcomed by the community and the local government represented
by the Speaker and Mayor of the area. The Executive Mayor Mrs Dyers expressed
gratitude and thanked Sassa for restoring the dignity of that community by
ensuring that government services are brought to their doorstep.
The opening of these offices makes the area to conform to the Sassa standard
of making sure that grants are collected within less than a radius of 40
kilometres from where people live. The Deputy Minister of Social Development Dr
Jean Swanson-Jacobs, in her keynote address, announced that her department has
made available numerous opportunities in the field of social work and also
invited the community to avail their children to be trained as Social Auxiliary
Workers.
She educated the community about the dangers of drugs such as 'tik', which
create brain damage. The community was then treated to a sumptuous meal in
order to practically demonstrate the need for a balanced diet. In closing, the
new Sassa brand was introduced and the community was made aware that the logo
with its five hands cushioning a falling individual is an expression of the
government's ideal of creating a caring nation.
Enquiries:
Kgomoco Diseko
Cell: 079 877 3049 or 083 383 3514
E-mail: kgomocod@sassa.gov.za
Issued by: South African Social Security Agency
4 July 2007
Source: SAPA
