Social grant payments for the current month are underway, as millions of grant recipients line up to receive their monthly payments for the Child Support grant.
Challenges Encountered
However, officials at the South African Social Security Agency have admitted that they encounter challenges with their current social disbursement model.
These include payment delays due to long queues with an ineffective queuing system and overlapping appointments at Sassa branch offices. To remedy this, the agency has started the process of digitising to enable bank changes according to Sassa’s Executive Manager of Grants, Brenton Van Vreede.
This means that when the process is complete, beneficiaries will be able to visit a Sassa branch and choose their preferred bank through which they’ll be able to collect their grant payment. Van Vreede further stated that they expect the system to be in place within three months.
It’s worth noting that this will only be for beneficiaries who want to switch banks as Van Vreede pointed out that Sassa will not intervene in fixing the existing problems at Post Bank. The system is currently in its trial period and is undergoing tests.
Required Documents To Change To Bank Personal Account
Sassa has stated that beneficiaries who want to change their payment method to a personal bank account will need to provide specific documents. These include the following:
- Proof of a bank account received from the bank
- or a three-month bank statement that shows the client’s personal details such as their name and bank account,
- as well as proof of identity.
Social Relief of Distress grant
All recipients of social grants aside from those who receive the Social Relief of Distress grant will be able to take advantage of this bank switch feature. As a result, beneficiaries will now have more flexibility and convenience, eliminating the need to travel to actual payment sites.
Accurate Banking Details
Beneficiaries have also been advised to provide accurate and up-to-date information when making changes to their payment methods. Failure to provide the necessary documents may result in delays in the processing of payments.
