People sleeping outside SASSA offices in winter to secure a place in the queue

People are sleeping outside SASSA offices in freezing winter conditions, hoping to secure a place in the queue before the offices open this morning.

This was revealed by Dereleen James, a member of Parliament, after a midnight visit to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) offices in Bellville.

James said that what she found during this visit showed the crisis facing millions of vulnerable South Africans relying on grants to survive.

“We condemn the conditions that millions of South Africans are forced to endure to access the social assistance on which they depend,” she said.

She explained that during her midnight oversight visit, she found over 50 people sleeping outside the offices in freezing winter conditions.

These people decided to sleep outside the offices because they hoped to secure a place in the queue before the offices opened this morning.

“Among those waiting overnight were elderly pensioners, mothers with young children, grandmothers, and people living with disabilities,” she said.

“No person should be forced to sleep on a pavement in the middle of winter to access a constitutionally guaranteed social grant.”

James said that long queues, inadequate service capacity, and poor administrative planning, despite the rollout of new systems, are unacceptable.

“Social grants are a lifeline for millions of households struggling with unemployment, poverty and the rising cost of living,” she said.

“The least the government can do is ensure that beneficiaries can access these services in a safe, dignified, and efficient manner.”

She called on SASSA and the Department of Social Development to intervene by increasing staffing and service capacity at high-demand offices.

They should also introduce an effective appointment and queue management system to prevent overnight queues.

“The state should investigate why beneficiaries are repeatedly being forced to queue overnight to access basic services,” she said.