OVERCROWDING at a Sassa office has made life difficult for grant recipients.
They said it seemed the office in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, services a very large number of people and workers were not coping.
Monalisa Mogashoa (55) from Daveyton said she had been trying to get help at the office every day since Friday last week.
“I arrived on Friday at about 6am. We stood in line the whole day and at around 3pm, they told us to come back on Monday.
“We arrived at the same time on Monday only to be told again they couldn’t help us.”
Simon Nkosi (32) from Daveyton said he had to spend R350 to hire transport to Benoni as he uses a wheelchair.
“I had to wake up at 3am in the morning to ensure I got there at 6am. Tuesday, I was lucky and was helped before 12pm but I was turned back three times previously.”
Simon said Sassa needed to open local offices in kasis such as Daveyton as people were spending a lot on transport.
DA shadow minister for social development Bridget Masango said there was a lack of leadership in the department.
Masinga visited the Benoni office yesterday after receiving a number of complaints.
She spoke to management and they told her there had been a surge in people needing their services after the festive season. She also said more Sassa offices were needed.
Provincial Sassa spokeswoman Nandi Mosia said they were in the process of setting up an office in Daveyton. She urged people to come forward to make complaints about offices which were not performing properly.