Hundreds of pensioners and people with disabilities were left stranded and had to spend two days without getting their social grant payments. They waited at the Tshilwavhusiku Post office on Monday and Tuesday but were told that funds were not available.
The pensioners started queuing as early as 03:00 on Monday. They returned on Tuesday but had to return home disappointed. Many of them complained bitterly while waiting in line, saying that standing for so long was very painful for them.
When Limpopo Mirror visited the post office, we found groups of pensioners relaxing in the shade but without any water to drink. Gogo Emily Khathu of Kutama said that she had not received her grant and was sure other people were in the same boat. She said she had been waiting in the queue to receive her payment from as early as 05:30 on Monday and Tuesday. The officials working at the post office told them that no money was available at the post office. "We are hungry, and we don't know what to eat," she said.
"I really need this grant because I want to buy food for my family. We hope the officials can resolve this matter speedily," said Gogo Makwarela Ralinwatha from Ravele. She said that she had arrived on Monday at the post office at 03:00, with the hope of getting payment. She complained that the queue at the Tshilwavhusiku Post Office was very long, and she could not get assisted for two days.
The district manager of SASSA, Mr Azwihangwisi Magadagela, apologised to all beneficiaries for the inconvenience caused by the delays in payment. He said that the cause of the problem was the robbery at the Kutama Post Office, which had caused pensioners to flock in large numbers to the Tshilwavhusiku Post Office. He explained that when a post office requested money, they made a request based on the previous number of pensioners.