SASSA fiasco: Three pensioners die during long wait for social grants

What a horrific way to lose your life. Thousands of social grant recipients were forced to queue for hours on Monday, after they were given the week to withdraw their funds from SASSA. However, as pensioners flocked to pay-points, several glitches and a lack of policing turned the whole ordeal into a nightmare.

Social grants deaths: Pensioners die while collecting SASSA funds

The three fatalities occured in Cape Town, Soweto and Hammersdale (KZN) respectively. According to SASSA minister Lindiwe Zulu – who hasn’t gone without causing controversy herself this month – one of the deceased passed away shortly after exiting the taxi which took her to the collection office:

“We know that the one person in Pimville, Soweto collapsed as she got out of the taxi, which means there might have been issues before she got there. We are sorry that, in some places, the money ran out. We are sure the work SASSA does now is to appreciate that this will be a lesson.”

Lindiwe Zulu, SASSA minister

Authorities have confirmed an elderly man died outside Vangate Mall in Athlone this morning. It’s believed the 70-year-old collapsed while on his way to the mall after 9am. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to the scene and found the man unresponsive.

— Voice of the Cape (@VOCfm) March 30, 2020

More issues to come on Tuesday

Snaking queues and long waits were commonplace for our senior citizens yesterday – and similar scenes are expected throughout Tuesday, which is the second designated day our pensioners have to go and collect their social grants. A lack of social distancing and the inadvertent creation of large crowds means that many of our elderly compatriots are at greater risk of catching the coronavirus.

Two pensioners confirmed to have died while standing on queues to collect social grant during the lockdown in South Africa. Why can the government not implement more effective mechanisms for distributing social grants, particularly for pensioners & people with disabilities?

— Thecla Mulu, Ph.D. (@PhMulu) March 30, 2020