THE brewing conflict between the SA Post Office and Minister for Social Development Bathabile Dlamini has affected Sassa beneficiaries.
On Wednesday morning in Motherwell, Port Elizabeth, Sassa beneficiaries were unable to get funds. They were left stranded after their bank cards were rejected at ATMs and by merchants.
Angry beneficiaries said Dlamini was the cause of the problem.
A beneficiary told Daily Sun: “I wish the minister would stop playing with our feelings. I think she is unfit to handle Sassa matters. It is better for her to hand Sassa to other companies who serve us better.”
Sassa beneficiaries were scattered all over the Mothwerwell Shopping Complex. Some were holding back tears, others were watching the ATMs, while some just slept on the cement floor.
But a few metres away, it was business as usual for a loan company.
Another beneficiary told Daily Sun: “It is true that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers most. When the situation is like this, we are forced to borrow. Who knows if we will ever get payments from Sassa?”
When the SunTeam contacted Sassa about the chaos, they immediately took responsibility.
Sassa Eastern Cape senior manager for communications, Sandy Godlwana, said: “There was a problem with the MasterCard interface which resulted in Sassa cards being declined at ATMs and merchants.”
She apologised for the technical problem. “Sassa is committed to ensuring that beneficiaries are not inconvenienced, hence the speedy resolution of the matter.”