sapo srd grant 2023-2024

Sapo SRD Grant 2023-2024 information is available on this page.

More than 900 000 persons are impacted by the challenges SAPO is currently facing in providing services to grant beneficiaries. This is undesirable even though it could only apply to 5% of recipients of social subsidies. According to SASSA, 150 000 people may have their mobile cash pay points taken down, forcing them to rapidly find alternate payment alternatives. At least 500 000 people receive their subsidies via SAPO branches.

The Department of Social Development (DSDargument )’s that the action is acceptable because only some people are affected is repugnant. In accordance with SASSA laws, it is legal for the elderly and people with disabilities to continue using SAPO branches as their principal method of collecting funding.

The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has been informed by the Department of Social Development (DSD) that efforts are being made to maintain the validity of SASSA cards. Although switching to banks incurs additional fees for the beneficiary, SASSA officials are present at SAPO pay points advising beneficiaries to do so in order to prevent problems in the event that SAPO is unable to process payments. Beneficiaries, notably the elderly and the crippled, have had to shoulder the responsibility of hunting for alternate payment channels since the closure of several SASSA community pay stations, which has produced worry and anxiety.

DSD acknowledges that the capacity of SAPO and its long-term serviceability are intrinsically intertwined. The entity has been impacted by ongoing cash difficulties, nonpayment of employees and service providers, strikes, and a shrinking SAPO footprint. Additionally, they were harmed by the services being discontinued without providing the DSD and beneficiaries with adequate notice. Fraud, substandard service delivery, security, transportation, time management, and equipment issues have all negatively impacted beneficiaries’ experiences.

These challenges are not brand-new. The Black Sash has expressed its concerns since since DSD and SASSA launched the Social Distress Relief (SRD). Because no meaningful attempts have been made to solve these issues, the grant recipients are left to shoulder the majority of the costs of SAPO’s inefficiencies.

There was a lot of ambiguity surrounding whether SAPO would pay social grants for the June cycle due to the May financial crisis. There have been conflicting accounts on whether media articles covered the SRD grant or other grants, as well as last-minute calls for recipients to use other payment options including banks and merchants. The reality on the ground was substantially different, notwithstanding SAPO’s assurances that social grant payments would go without incident.

The bulk of SAPO outlets were unable to execute the initial payments on June 2, 2022, even though they were scheduled to. They encountered connectivity issues, which made it impossible for them to support biometric authentication. Community monitoring partners and Black Sash both noted these issues. Additional delays were reported by regional offices in several provinces, including the Pietermaritzburg Main SAPO, the Howick SAPO in KwaZulu Natal, and the Kariega SAPO branch in the Eastern Cape.

Due to delays in the delivery of cash and consequent shortages, beneficiaries were compelled to depart and hunt for alternative payment options or return the next day. This was seen in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.

The safety and security of many SAPO branches has alarmingly declined, putting grant recipients in danger, particularly women, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Security measures on both sides are insufficient because of the SAPO’s deteriorating financial status.

Payments on June 2 and 3 were postponed due to a crime scene at the Standerton Post Office in Mpumalanga, which was looted on June 2. Many beneficiaries were obliged to wait until they returned on June 6 in order to collect their payouts because of their pathological dread of technology and inability to remember their PIN numbers.

While on duty at the Amanzimtoti SAPO in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Black Sash and its neighborhood partner, KwaMakutha Community Resource Center, observed a tragic hijacking that put the safety of grant recipients in jeopardy. The SAPO branch was forced to discontinue awarding grants because of the significant number of robberies they had personally witnessed.

According to their own Norms and Standards, SASSA and SAPO must provide social grants in conformity with the law. Due to the declining situation of SAPO across the country and the impact this is having on the most vulnerable sections of our society, SASSA and SAPO are both falling short of acceptable standards of service delivery.

SOCIAL GRANTS