20 September 2023
The SA Human Rights Commission SAHRC is mulling over several rights violation complaints levelled against social development minister Lindiwe Zulu and Postbank over the recent grant payments delay debacle. Yesterday morning, DA MP Bridget Masango lodged complaints of violations of rights to human dignity life and health care, arguing the grant payment delays prevented thousands of people from accessing food and medicine, and placed grant recipients’ lives at risk. Earlier this month, about 600,000 SA Social Security Agency Sassa grant beneficia ries experienced payment delays, some for more than a week. “Delayed grant payments have plunged the poorest among us into profound suffering, impacting their dignity significantly,” Masango said.
“The ongoing crisis surrounding Sassa grant payments has highlighted the inability of the department of social development to address these pressing issues. “It is evident minister Lindiwe Zulu and her department are struggling to provide the level of care and support the most vulnerable members of our society require.” SAHRG spokesperson Wisani Baloyi said the commission would assess the complaints before a decision would be taken to investigate. The decision is expected to be made by next week. “It is going through an assessment on how the commission should handle this complaint. “At the end of the assessment, we will inform the DA of the outcome, whether it is a matter that should be investigated by the commission or another institution,” Baloyi said. Drinking boiled water while cooking a cup of samp was all pensioner Esme Njosana, 68, could have before taking her high blood pressure medication to avoid collapsing from hunger. Njosana, from Vereeniging, detailed the struggles she went through last week when her social grant payment was delayed for seven days. The grants for elderly recipients were supposed to be paid on September 5 and disability grants the next day. “I only had a small amount of rice left in my house and I was waiting for payday to buy food. “To my disappointment when I went to the retail store on payday there was no money. “My heart sank because I had no other plan and no food at home,” she said. “I went to my neighbour to ask for food, but the situation was the same. “My neighbour was only able to share a little bit of maize meal so I could cook some pap for my grandchild.” As the payment delays dragged on, a desperate Njosana borrowed money from a loan shark for food and to travel to the Marshalltown post office branch for several days to check for payment. “My grandchild sometimes came back from school feeling weak because of hunger and that pushed me to get R500 from a loan shark.” Njosana said she paid back the loan which gained 50% interest within a week. She paid R750 out of her R2,080 grant she received on September
Source: TimesLIVE
