SINCE April this year, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is migrating its social grants beneficiaries from the old SASSA card to the new SASSA/SAPO card and this has seen escalation of numbers in SASSA offices.
“This is temporal as the migration is time bound. The staff complement in the Uitenhage office is in line with the SASSA value chain which one would find in any SASSA local office,” said Luzuko Qina, SASSA Eastern Cape Spokesperson & Senior Manager: Communication and Marketing.
“It should be borne in one’s mind that itineraries are followed to conduct migration of beneficiaries outside local offices. Beneficiaries are urged to be patient and to visit the identified migration points for migration to the new SASSA card.”
According to Qina, the agency has redirected card swap activities to venues closer to the community so as to avoid many people flooding into SASSA offices. This week (11-18 June) the Uitenhage local office and South African Post Office are conducting card swap from the old SASSA card to the new SASSA/SAPO card at the following venues: Jeff Masemola Community Hall, Kabah/Langa Community Hall.
“The process of looking for office space in KwaNobuhle is being handled by the national office and National Department of Public Works. A tender for office space was advertised and the agency did not receive a functional response from potential property owners,” said Qina.
According to him, the district office currently is interacting with stakeholders within KwaNobuhle community with the aim to offer counter services whilst waiting for permanent office accommodation.
-HEILIE COMBRINCK
