GOGO Evelinah Chiloane (71), a pensioner from Rolle near Thulamahashe in Mpumalanga, is stressed.
She said she spent Christmas with her two children and eight grandkids on empty stomachs.
This after load shedding suddenly hit the Super Spar store at Thulamahashe mall, and she said cashiers told her that her Sassa grant payment was automatically reversed in December.
"We had no food back home for Christmas. I then went to the nearby supermarket trying my luck. But the card declined, and cashiers said there's no money and referred me to the nearest Post Office," she said.
After being unsuccessful, gogo said she was told by the officials at Thulamahashe Post Office that their system was offline and referred her to Hluvukani Post Office which is about 30km away.
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"Officials there sent us to Ximhungwe Post Office. I had to borrow some money again from mashonisa for taxis. But upon arrival, the officials said they're unable to reverse the money and gave me a form to complete," she said.
But that was not enough for gogo. On Wednesday, 3 January, she joined the other pensioners to receive the grant payment as it was pay day.
Unfortunately, her card declined, again.
Her worried daughter, Sibongile Chiloane (42), said they have been struggling to ensure that her mum gets her grant money, but things are seemingly getting worse.
"She's fallen from deep stress. The whole two consecutive months she didn't receive her R4 180 Sassa grant. Even officials at the local Sassa offices sent her from pillar to post. They even asked her to change her Sassa card to Tymebank who're operating at the Sassa premises entrances in December. But it was all in vain," she said.
Mpumalanga Sassa spokesman Senzeni Ngubeni said: "We've referred the matter to the Sassa office in Thulamahashe and rest assured it will be sorted in that office."
