Cape Town - The City has revealed that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has applied for a portion of the Khayelitsha Kuyasa building, two days before the closure of their offices.
It has been nearly two weeks since grant recipients from Khayelitsha were left in the lurch after the Sassa branch in the township closed suddenly, due to renovations at the building they share with the Department of Social Development (DSD).
DSD has made alternative arrangements to continue providing services to the residents.
Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab said they were “still sorting out alternative sites with the City of Cape Town” to enable services to continue.
Sassa had said town halls that had been identified were found to be non-compliant, and their officials had previously been robbed at a number of the halls.
The agency also stated it had submitted the necessary documents for the application for offices located at Kuyasa Library, but was awaiting the City’s feedback.
Mayco member for economic growth James Vos revealed that an application to lease a portion of the Kuyasa building was received from Sassa on July 11, two days before they closed the office.
“The application is being processed on an urgent basis,” he said.
Mayco member for community service and health Patricia van der Ross said safety and security measures were being improved at their public halls.
“Unfortunately, crimes such as robbery are frequent occurrences throughout communities. This affects all community stakeholders including civilians and businesses.
“The recreation and parks department has invested resources to provide security at these halls 24/7, and is currently discussing options available to find a sustainable solution. The required population and fire safety certificates have also been issued,” she said.
Black Sash regional manager Thandi Henkeman said they were “deeply concerned” about the lack of services rendered in Khayelitsha, one of the largest and fastest growing townships in the country.
“We have met with Sassa’s Khayelitsha management twice and arranged a meeting with the regional manager in efforts to evaluate contingency plans and assist with the developments of that plan.
“Our priority is for that service to return. We are also in contact with other stakeholders to assess the impact this is having. We will continue to apply pressure for immediate solutions,” she said.
The City’s standing committee on social development said it was planning to invite Sassa’s management to appear before the committee about the closure, following their visit to the closed facility.
The committee chairperson Dan Plato said they were hoping to understand the circumstances that led to the failure, and ensure that such an issue doesn’t reoccur.
Cape Times