The meeting of the Minister and the MEC’s of Social Development, called MINMEC, received an update on matters that deal with card replacements and the challenges being experienced with regards to the slow process of completing this changeover for beneficiaries. Members of MINMEC registered and confirmed their unhappiness with the way the Postbank is rolling out the issuance of their new Postbank Black Cards.
The reality is that replacement sites from Postbank, across the country, are insufficient. Their current processes are slow and violate the dignity of their clients by subjecting them to inhumane conditions, where there are no ablution facilities, there are extended queueing lines and clients are exposed to adverse weather conditions. This confirms that plans are not informed by what is happening on the ground.
Card issuance sites are also not well located with many of their clients having to travel long distances to access towns and often do not get served on the day, due to capacity and poor logistic management.
The meeting also welcomed the extra efforts by SASSA to provide support for our beneficiaries, to ensure that they are serviced with dignity. SASSA will provide support to clients who choose alternative payment options and outreach campaigns are being conducted in partnership with local municipalities.
The Minster shared with MINMEC her experience after she personally conducted oversight visits at the Eerste Rivier and Cape Town City Shoprite Supermarkets, respectively, where she had an opportunity to interact with beneficiaries in the queue to get their first-hand experience.
MINMEC proposed, as an added intervention, the use of DSD provincial offices, to take advantage of the added human resource capacity from the Department to assist to intervene in the crisis. SASSA confirmed it is working with municipalities, churches and the House of Traditional Leaders to find additional sites that are easy access to beneficiaries.
Enquiries
Mr. Sandi Mbatsha
Spokesperson
Social Development Ministry
E-mail: SandiM@dsd.gov.za
Cell: 082 525 2959
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