The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has announced that payment of social grants for the month of June will begin on 3 June. The first day, 3 June, will be for the elderly people (Old Age and War Veterans Grants) and the second day, 4 June, will be for people living with disabilities (Disability Grant).
“The prioritising of the older person and disability grants is an effort to ease congestion at SAPO outlets, retailers and bank infrastructure,” SASSA said, “thus minimising the risk of Covid-19 infection.”
All other grants such as child support should be collected from 5 June.
No elderly or disabled person should be brought into town only to access their grant, the agency said.
“Once the money is in the account, it will remain available for the beneficiary to access anytime or anywhere as and when required. There is no need to withdraw all the money at once,” the Agency said. “Beneficiaries are also encouraged to swipe their cards to pay for purchases, rather than withdraw cash.
Additional measures would be put in place to manage the numbers at cash pay-points to ensure hygiene protocols are followed and social distancing maintained.
For their own safety, social grant beneficiaries were encouraged to avoid areas where large numbers of people are gathered.
“All necessary measures will be put in place to ensure that social distance is adhered to.”
