- On Friday, Postbank acknowledged {that a} glitch had prevented many social grant recipients from accessing their January 2023 payments.
- Postbank stated the problem had been resolved.
- But GroundUp visited a Cape Town cost department on Tuesday and located a number of beneficiaries had nonetheless not been paid.
- This is the second time in a few month {that a} main “system glitch” at Postbank has left grant beneficiaries with empty pockets.
A Cape Town mom spent hours queuing outdoors the Post Office in Athlone this week, determined to gather her youngster’s unpaid social grant.
“November was the last time I received a Sassa grant for my child,” Angelina Stuurman informed GroundUp whereas she waited according to dozens of different beneficiaries who had additionally not obtained their cash for January 2023.
In a round, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) acknowledged that each one grants have been to be paid by Thursday, 5 January. But on Friday, Postbank, in an announcement, acknowledged that its cost system had suffered yet one more “glitch” which meant many individuals couldn’t entry their grants.
Postbank spokesperson Bongani Diako defined that the system turned “unstable” on Friday morning. This brought about social grant beneficiaries who use the Sassa/Postbank gold card to expertise “challenges when doing transactions”. Diako stated that the problem had been resolved by Friday noon.
However, when GroundUp visited the Athlone Sassa and Post Office branches on Tuesday, we spoke to many beneficiaries who had nonetheless not obtained their much-needed grants.
Among them was Stuurman. She stated her son’s final youngster assist grant cost was in November and even that was paid late. She is but to obtain the grant for December and January. Tuesday was the third time she had visited the workplace to ask why the grant had not been paid.
“I first came in December, and they said they were going to sort it out. They made a copy of my Sassa card and ID but still nothing. Now I’m standing here again because Sassa sent me here to sort out the payment issue,” she stated.
Stuurman is at present unemployed and depends on the grant cash to purchase college provides for her seven-year-old who begins at a brand new college on Monday. “Parents are really dependent on this money. How are they supposed to live? The past two months have been difficult for us,” she stated.
By the tip of the day she had been paid.
Yolanda Lawrence (left) and Angelina Stuurman have been amongst dozens of grant beneficiaries ready outdoors the Athlone Post Office on Tuesday. Image: Marecia Damons/GroundUp
Stuurman was together with her mother-in-law Yolanda Lawrence who had not but obtained her incapacity grant this month. “I can’t pay my debts or anything. I’ve had to tell everyone that I borrowed money from that I didn’t receive my grant yet.”
Lawrence has been receiving the grant since 2015 and stated she has by no means had any cost points till now.
Further down the queue was Sadiyah Manuel together with her kids aged one and 6. This was her third try on the workplace to get their youngster assist grants.
“We came to the Post Office last week and they said there was no money,” stated Manuel. When she returned on Monday morning at 06:00, she stated the road was snaking across the constructing. “There have been virtually 100 folks already ready.
“My daughter has to start grade R but there’s no money for stationery. Most of us are unemployed, that’s why we rely on these grants,” stated Manuel.
This is just not the primary cost glitch at Postbank. Last month, hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries who use Postbank/Sassa gold playing cards have been unable to withdraw their social grants from ATMs. At the time, Sassa stated that this adopted assaults and fraud on the cost community by criminals.
Diako stated about 4 450 folks had been affected by the glitch on Friday. He stated the issue ought to have been fastened by now.
“Postbank sincerely apologises for the impact this has had on the limited number of beneficiaries this time around.”
© 2023 GroundUp
This article was first revealed on GroundUp here.
Listen to Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni focus on progress made in corporatising Postbank, with Moneyweb Editor Ryk van Niekerk on RSG Geldsake (interview in English):
And on SAfm Market Update with Moneyweb host Fifi Peters: