Deputy Speaker, Hon members, from 21-24 August 2006 the portfolio committee embarked on an oversight visit to the South African Social Security Agency, or Sassa, offices in three provinces, namely Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape. The visit commenced at their head office in Pretoria and proceeded to the regional offices in Port Elizabeth and East London in the Eastern Cape and Kimberley in the Northern Cape.
The South African Social Security Agency was established by the state to assume responsibility for the payment and administration of social grants. Apart from the problems experienced with regard to these services, the establishment of Sassa is in line with the call to ensure a better life for all.
Members are familiar with problems that were widely published through the media with regard to administration and payments of grants, hence the establishment of Sassa.
Indeed, we were encouraged by what we saw. We found an organisation that has laid a firm foundation to ensure swift and user-friendly services right from the head office through to the regional offices. The passion, motivation and professionalism displayed by all involved provide us with the necessary resolve that today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today.
This once more is an indication of our commitment to provide quality service to the beneficiaries and ensure that minimum standards operate countrywide consistently, efficiently and predictably. It is not for this debate to recycle or duplicate the report in the form of an oral representation as members have received an approved report. However, I need to draw the attention of this House to the tremendous progress made so far. If one studies the report, one will clearly see that a major step has been taken in line with our resolution, that is fighting poverty together for a better life for all.
The report covers a whole range of administrative issues, infrastructure issues such as buildings, technology issues, human resource issues and other matters. It further shows that Sassa is managing the transitional and transformation process without compromising service delivery. It shows how Sassa has improved service delivery by introducing new initiatives for application turnaround time, enhanced payment models, an optional services infrastructure network and improved access to service in rural areas and payouts.
Sesiyathola manje ukuthi abantu abalindi izinyanga eziyisithupha ukuze bathole ulwazi lokuthi bayayithola na imali noma cha; kodwa izicelo zabo zithatha isikhathi esingangezinsuku ezintathu noma kube ilanga elilodwa. [We also learnt that people no longer wait for six months to have information on whether they will get their money or not; but their applications take at least between one and three days to be approved.]
Lo nto iyanceda ke ukuba abantu bangabe benyuka besehla, bemana bejikiswa ngento engaziwayo. Ezobugcisa ziphuculwe kangangendlela yokuba abantu bayakwazi ukuvavanywa, baxelelwe ngoko nangoko ukuba bayasifumana kusini na esi sibonelelo. Ii-ofisi zeSasa kuthiwa ngesilungu: they are user friendly. [Kulula ukuzisebenzisa.] kwaye uyambona u-'Batho Pele' phaya, ngoba baqashe abantu kangangoko kwiidesika zooncedo zabo. Abantu abasami emigceni emide, abangaziyo nokuba iza kuphela nini na.
Ngelinye ixesha babona sele kuvalwa iminyango kusithiwa, "Nize ngomso." I- Sasa iyijikile ke loo nto leyo, ithi, 'senza ngoku.' Abantu babuzwa imibuzo efanelekileyo, abo bakwazi ukubeka iingxaki zabo bakwazi ukuvavanywa. Akusathethwa izinto eziyimfihlo esidlangalaleni njengakwaNdabazabantu phaya kudala ukuba wonke umntu azi into yokuba sele kuphelile ngawe. Kukho ubomi babucala. Iindawo ezininzi zokwamkela imali ziyaphuculwa, ingakumbi phaya emakhaya. Ngethuba besihambele kweleMpuma Koloni siye saya kwindawo ekuthiwa yiKwelerha apho bekuye kuvulwa iholo entsha, ngoba njengokuba nisazi, phaya ekhaya awekho amaholo oluntu.
Sibe nexesha elimnandi ngokwenene apho, abantu bonwabe kakhulu. Bade babonelelwa banikwa phaya kwesa sibonelelo sikarhulumente ekuthiwa xa sibizwayo yi-Social Relief of Distress Grant. Le ithi xa abantu xa sele belambe kakhulu noko urhulumente abasizele abanike esi sibonelelo. Bekukho iintsapho ezingaphezulu kwe-100 ebeziphiwa iipasile noko ezingathi zithe xaxhe, ukuze batye kude kufike ikrisimesi. Ezi ke zizinto ezingaziwayo, uSasa abone ukuba makaziveze ebantwini, ukuba uyancedisa ekubeni abantu baphume kobu buhlwempu baphila phantsi kwabo.
Bekumnandi ngokwenyani eKwelerha, sitshotsha nokutshotsha phaya, kukho laa nto ekuthiwa yi-integration, kukho nabantwana besikolo besiculela kamnandi. Nabantu bethu torhwana abangekafikeleli kwizinga lokuthi bafumane isibonelelo semali yobudala ub'ubabona ukuba bachwayitile, ngoba bafumene okuya phantsi kwempumlo kule nkgqubo eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Social Relief of Distress.
Ndiyacela ukuba amalungu afake isandla ekuthini kusetyenziswane noSasa lo, ukuze abantu bakwazi ukuncedwa ngendlela efanelekileyo, ingamkubi ngoku sele sazise iindlela ezintsha zokuziswa kweenkonzo ebantwini. Ngokungaphandle kokumosha ixesha, ngoba ndiyabona ingathi noko ilanga sele litshonile, mandithi intle le nto yenziwa nguSasa yokuthi nathi noko sizibone siphethwe njengabantu, singasamkeleli ngaphantsi kwemithi, singasami emigceni, singasalindi ukuza kukaNongqawuse xa sicela uncedo kurhulumente. Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[This helps to avoid a situation in which people move up and down and are turned away for no apparent reason. Technological systems have been improved to such an extent that people can be tested and be informed immediately whether their applications for grants are approved or not. The Sassa offices are user-friendly and you can see the Batho Pele principle, because they have employed enough people at their help desks. People are no longer waiting in long queues not knowing when they will be attended to.
People sometimes found themselves locked out and told to come back the following day. Sassa has turned that around; it says, "Action now." People are asked relevant questions and those who can present their cases are interviewed on the spot. Confidential issues are no longer discussed in public, as used to be the case in the past. There is now privacy and many pay points are being developed, especially those in the rural areas. During our visit to the Eastern Cape we also visited a place called Kwelerha where there was an official opening of a community hall, as you know that there are no community halls in rural areas.
We really had a good time and people were very cheerful. They were even provided with a social grant known as a social relief of distress grant. The government provides this to people living in severe poverty. More than 100 families were given food parcels that will last them until Christmas. These are things that Sassa has decided to reveal to the people, as they were not aware of them. Sassa is doing this to eradicate the poverty in which people live.
We had social integration and dancing in Kwelerha, and school pupils were singing nice songs. One could see that even people who had not yet reached the stage of getting the old age grant were happy, because the social relief of distress programme had brought them food.
I wish to make a request to members that they should work in partnership with Sassa, so that people can be served in a proper way, especially now that we have introduced new systems of service delivery to people. Without wasting much time, because I can see that we do not have enough time, let me say that Sassa is doing a good thing in that at least we are being treated like human beings; we no longer receive our grants under the trees, and wait in long queues when we apply for social grants. I thank you. [Applause.]]