Cape Town - The Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) in Mitchells Plain has offered accredited security guards to Sassa after services to the community and other branches in the metro came to a standstill following a wage strike by the security guards over the past two weeks.
CCC president Fadiel Adams said that from last Wednesday, beneficiaries were unable to process their documents to receive their grants, describing this as unthinkable.
Adams said that with councillor Dwayne Jacobs they approached the Social Development Department after fears that the Mitchells Plain branch was on the verge of experiencing riots, offering seven security guards which he said the party was to pay for.
“In the interest of the poor and of having the offices open to people who could process their documentation, we offered to cover the cost of security guards. However, the management declined our offer in an email saying that the issue had been sorted and that the branch would be operational by Monday.
“We will be inspecting the offices today to ascertain if it’s politics that is being played, or if it’s in the interest of the poor that the place is open. However, we don’t believe that the staff had a reason to be fearing for their safety.
“We are poor people, not criminals. But we understand Sassa and the Social Development Department’s policy. However, we do not necessarily agree with it,” he said.
Adams said that the party also failed to understand how Sassa and the national Social Development Department failed to pay the security contractors, which resulted in the crisis.
“It is a sad indictment that the department supposed to service our most vulnerable allows itself to be caught up in a situation like that, but it’s also an indicator of the state of the country.
“However, ours was just an offer of temporary relief to those who desperately depended on the functioning of the office, even if it was for a single day,” he said.
Black Sash regional manager Thandi Henkeman said the organisation was deeply concerned about the impact the strike would have on vulnerable beneficiaries who relied on the services rendered by Sassa.
Henkeman said Sassa’s continued failure to deliver on its mandate was alarming and had dire consequences for the everyday person.
“We call for all the parties concerned, including Sassa and DSD, to address these challenges as a matter of urgency. The strike of their employees should not negatively impact clients who depend on their Sassa service,” she said.
Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez appealed to Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu and the Sassa CEO to convene an urgent meeting to address the crisis.
Sassa Marketing and Communication director Shivani Wahab said the issue had been resolved with the appointment of a temporary service provider for security services at the affected offices. She however said Sassa cannot comment on the engagement with the current service provider.
“Sassa's priority is to ensure business continuity at all contact points with minimal service disruptions,” she said