Question NW1050 to the Minister of Social Development

Reply:

a) According to the reconciliation received from the SA Post Office, (SAPO) a total of 328 477 beneficiaries have yet to collect their grant from the first cycle which ended on 30 April 2021 and 442 602 from the second cycle which covers the period from August 2021 to March 2022. Approval has recently been provided to SAPO, in line with the Directions published on 10 February 2022, for beneficiaries from the first cycle to be paid their funds, should they report to the post office.

b) The access channels provided to beneficiaries of the R350 social relief of distress grant include bank ATMs where the beneficiaries request payment directly into their personal bank accounts, as well as through the post office. Currently, of the 10 563 123 approved beneficiaries, 42% collect their grants through the post office while 58% receive the grant in their own personal bank accounts.

In order to improve access to the grants distributed by the post office, additional channels through the retailers have been opened. The retailers currently participating are Pick & Pay, Boxer, Checker, Shoprite and Usave. Negotiations with the Spar group to also allow access to the relief grant are at an advanced stage and further announcements will be made shortly.

SASSA is also finalising the contracting with banks, to allow for the payment to be made to mobile phones. This channel will be available for the extension of the grant from April 2022 to March 2023.

These channels have all contributed to the significant improvement in reducing the queues at post offices, and provide a range of options for approved beneficiaries to be able to access their grants conveniently.