Pensioners will soon receive their social grants in the comfort of their own homes‚ a move welcomed by victims of a pension pay-point robbery that left several pensioners injured in Soshanguve‚ north of Pretoria‚ a week ago.
The department of social development on Wednesday said this will only apply to those aged 75 and above.
According to chief operations officer of the department’s SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) Frank Earl‚ the successful bidder for the R10-billion social security distribution tender will be required to fulfil this requirement.
“(We) have received the bids‚ the tender is closed and now we are in the process of evaluating the tenders. The successful bidder will have to deliver social grants to the homes for those aged 75 and above to eliminate the need for frail (beneficiaries) to travel long distances and stand in long queues‚” he said.
He said the evaluation process should be finalised by October.
At least 13 people — 11 pensioners and two security guards — were hospitalised with gunshot wounds last week when a gang of 10 armed robbers attacked a cash-in-transit van delivering cash at a pension pay-point in Soshanguve.
The gang made off with R350 000 in cash.
Social development minister Bathabile Dlamini said India was paying pension grants at home‚ and that her department was studying this model to see how it is done.
“That exercise is very expensive. They are doing it in India even though their population is big...we can do it‚” she said.
She said police would be deployed to 9000 pensions pay-points across the country to ensure the safety of the beneficiaries.
Welhemina Skhosana‚ 85‚ had just arrived at the branch when bullets started flying and she was hit on the left hip. It was the second pension pay-point robbery she was caught up in. Luckily‚ she escaped unscathed during the first but was unlucky this time.
“I am happy that we will get our money at home. I am scared of going to collect my pension...I kept looking over my shoulders when I finally went on Tuesday‚” she said.
The minister visited Skhosana at her home in Soshanguve on Wednesday after visiting 28-year-old Samuel Malemela at George Mukhari hospital in Ga-Rankuwa‚ where he is recovering from injuries sustained when a bullet ripped through his intestines during the robbery.
Malemela‚ originally from Ga-Ramokgopa in Limpopo‚ was visiting relatives in Soshanguve and went to the nearest pay point to receive his disability grant when he was shot.
“I had already been paid‚ waiting for a relative‚ when the shoot-out started. I heard gun shots and felt pain on back before collapsing‚” he said.
Pensioners ‘happy to get money at home’ following pay-point robbery
Pensioners will soon receive their social grants in the comfort of their own homes‚ a move welcomed by victims of a pension pay-point robbery that left several pensioners injured in Soshanguve‚ north of Pretoria‚ a week ago.
The department of social development on Wednesday said this will only apply to those aged 75 and above.
According to chief operations officer of the department’s SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) Frank Earl‚ the successful bidder for the R10-billion social security distribution tender will be required to fulfil this requirement.
“(We) have received the bids‚ the tender is closed and now we are in the process of evaluating the tenders. The successful bidder will have to deliver social grants to the homes for those aged 75 and above to eliminate the need for frail (beneficiaries) to travel long distances and stand in long queues‚” he said.
He said the evaluation process should be finalised by October.
At least 13 people — 11 pensioners and two security guards — were hospitalised with gunshot wounds last week when a gang of 10 armed robbers attacked a cash-in-transit van delivering cash at a pension pay-point in Soshanguve.
The gang made off with R350 000 in cash.
Social development minister Bathabile Dlamini said India was paying pension grants at home‚ and that her department was studying this model to see how it is done.
“That exercise is very expensive. They are doing it in India even though their population is big...we can do it‚” she said.
She said police would be deployed to 9000 pensions pay-points across the country to ensure the safety of the beneficiaries.
Welhemina Skhosana‚ 85‚ had just arrived at the branch when bullets started flying and she was hit on the left hip. It was the second pension pay-point robbery she was caught up in. Luckily‚ she escaped unscathed during the first but was unlucky this time.
“I am happy that we will get our money at home. I am scared of going to collect my pension...I kept looking over my shoulders when I finally went on Tuesday‚” she said.
The minister visited Skhosana at her home in Soshanguve on Wednesday after visiting 28-year-old Samuel Malemela at George Mukhari hospital in Ga-Rankuwa‚ where he is recovering from injuries sustained when a bullet ripped through his intestines during the robbery.
Malemela‚ originally from Ga-Ramokgopa in Limpopo‚ was visiting relatives in Soshanguve and went to the nearest pay point to receive his disability grant when he was shot.
“I had already been paid‚ waiting for a relative‚ when the shoot-out started. I heard gun shots and felt pain on back before collapsing‚” he said.
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