The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) says many R350-grant applications have been declined because they didn’t meet the criteria. In a statement, SASSA said they had received numerous grievances about declined R350 grant applications.
“For one to qualify for the Covid-19 grant they must be either unemployed without any kind of income, or not receiving any kind of government assistance such as UIF and NSFAS, or social grants or any other financial support and must be above the age of 18,” said SASSA CEO Totsie Memela.
The majority of declined applicationsweare from people already on the UIF database or qualifying to receive it, Memela said. In this case the applicants were advised to contact the Department of Employment and Labour to either apply for UIF or follow up with their applications.
“SASSA verifies all applications by matching their data with other public and private databases to eliminate possibilities of double-dipping, so that only deserving applicants receive this financial aid,” Memela said.
“The department is aware that this has caused unhappiness from applicants and thus it is important for beneficiaries to understand the criteria because this grant is not necessarily for everyone. “We are doing everything in our power to solve the matter and a dedicated email address and phone number have been made available to process complaints.”
Aggrieved unsuccessful applicant should call 0800 60 10 11 or email srd@sassa.gov.za with their complaints in order to access the recourse mechanism.
“Our aim is to pay the right grant to the right people,” Memela said.
So far 3.2 million applicants had been approved and 1.2 million had been paid.
“Payments are still in progress and SASSA still needs to do a verification check before any payments can be done. Applicants are processed daily but the major source of delays come from the necessary verification process which SASSA has to do with other institutions which are dependencies in the value chain.
“We continue to work hard to ensure that those who qualify get what is due to them,” Memela said.
“Our main aim is to support the government in alleviating poverty especially during these difficult times but we have to follow the required processes and we appeal for patience from those whose applications we have not reached so far.”
Memela said beneficiaries were advised to use their own personal accounts and not those of their neighbours and also ensure that their personal details are exactly as they appear on their identity document.
“Personal information is very important. During verification checks, should we find out that the information provided in the application does not correspond with the Identity document information, that might result in the application being rejected,” Memela said.
