SASSA's oversight visit reveals service delivery shortcomings
An oversight visit by South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) executives to the Bellville local office on Thursday, April 30, drew attention to the efforts to improve service delivery for residents who rely on social grants.
Image: Northern News
An oversight visit by SASSA executives to the Bellville local office on Thursday, April 30, drew attention to the efforts to improve service delivery for residents who rely on social grants.
The visit comes as the latest development in attempts to tackle long-standing challenges at the busy office, which services a large number of beneficiaries from Bellville, Delft, and Elsies River, among other areas.
SASSA executive manager for grants administration, Brenton van Vrede, said the visit was intended to monitor how new systems are working and whether they are making a difference.
Over the past six months, SASSA has introduced biometric systems to strengthen and speed up its services. These include fingerprint verification, rolled out in September last year, and a newer facial recognition system that allows beneficiaries to confirm their identity using their mobile phones.
The facial recognition system is part of a move towards digital services that enable some beneficiaries to complete processes without visiting an office.
Van Vrede said the agency has also begun implementing electronic life certification, which uses biometric data to confirm that beneficiaries are still alive. The system is intended to prevent payments from being made in cases where deaths have not been reported.
"In those cases, we would miss picking up that death. So we have now implemented this system as a way for us to then be able to verify life on an annual basis. We are still starting quite small. That's a new system," he said.
At the Bellville office, local manager Celiwe Mngqongiwe said the introduction of these systems is already helping staff manage the high number of clients.
"They are assisting us in managing the queues, because now we are able to manage a number of beneficiaries at the same time. We are assisting them on their smartphones. They are connecting to the client Wi-Fi that is in the office. Then we assist them," she said.
Mngqongiwe added that many clients are now able to apply for grants, book appointments and verify their details on their own devices, which is helping to reduce congestion.
However, she said that the office continues to assist those who are unable to access digital services, including elderly residents and people without smartphones.
SASSA acting general manager for grants administration in the Western Cape, Griffon Phepher, said they are in advanced stages of establishing a service site in Delft.
"We are currently in the final stages of signing the memorandum of understanding and all the required documentation, and then we will proceed from there," he said.
He added that the site is expected to operate five days a week and will bring services closer to residents while easing pressure on the Bellville office.