SAHRC meets Social Development, SASSA over delayed grant payments

In a statement released on Thursday, the commission said the meeting took place on Friday.

The commission's spokesperson, Wisani Baloyi, said the meeting discussed the recent delay in the payment of grants,  the precise nature of the “glitches” experienced by Postbank, and whether a solution has been found to the problem.

The DA recently lodged a complaint with the commission against Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, the South African Social Security Agency, and the Postbank over the grant payment debacle.

Some 600,000 grant beneficiaries were left with empty pockets due to what has been described as a technical glitch at the state-owned bank.

The figure represents some 10% of the more than 5 million beneficiaries who access their grants through Postbank.

Baloyi said SASSA told the commission only beneficiaries who held accounts at Postbank were impacted by the technical glitches.

"SASSA was legally obliged to pay grants into the bank accounts of grant beneficiaries but cannot be legally responsible for what occurs between banks and their clients who are account holders.

“The commission indicated that while it appreciates that SASSA had, in a timely manner, paid grants into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts, it is on the basis that SASSA has a contractual relationship with various banks that beneficiaries approach these banks and open bank accounts.

“Moreover, the Postbank is subsidised by the government to mitigate any bank charges beneficiaries would otherwise have to pay, thus enabling that bank to be a preferred choice by some beneficiaries. 

“Consequently, the relevant state organs have a moral, if not strictly legal, responsibility to ensure that vulnerable groups who depend on their grants get access to their money in a reliable manner every month," said Baloyi.

The commission will be engaging with Postbank on Thursday to assess its state of readiness for the October payment cycle.

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