Ms Winnie Mathevhula of Bungeni village outside Elim could at last be getting her social relief distress (SRD) grant. A SASSA representative confirmed this week that they are investigating why the lady has not received her R350 grant.
"SASSA has made an investigation into the Mathevhula case, and her December 2021 and January 2022 money will be paid. The department is in touch with Mathevhula, advising her to visit her nearest post office for the SRD grant," said Norma Kutama, a senior manager at SASSA in the Vhembe District. She said it could be that Mathevhula had supplied incorrect banking details, which might explain why the money never reflected.
The South African government, in its response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, introduced the R350 SRD grant to its vulnerable citizens. The SRD was scheduled to end next month (March) but in his state-of-the-nation address last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa extended it to March 2023.
The extension brought relief to the vulnerable, but this was not the case with Ms Mathevhula. "When the SRD was introduced in 2020, I also applied, but the application was rejected. In August 2021, I again applied, and the application was approved, but money was paid into another person's account," said Mathevhula. She reported the matter to a community activist dealing with SRD grants in Limpopo.
Mathevhula claims that some of her friends in the village receive the grants. In her case, she gets notified about the payments, but when she visits her bank, the money does not reflect in her account. "This is very disappointing. I have to pay R34 for the whole journey to visit Capitec bank at Elim, only to discover the money is not paid into my account," said Mathevhula.
Realizing that no money had been deposited in her account, Mathevhula approached Israel Nkuna, an activist in Limpopo popularly known for assisting SRD beneficiaries who may face challenges.
"On 7 February 2022, I approached SASSA's national spokesperson about the Mathevhula issue. I was informed that the matter was being dealt with by the fraud unit and that I will be informed once the investigation is completed," said Nkuna.