The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) announced that social grant payments will be processed earlier for December and January 2020.
The decision given for early payment is protecting beneficiaries from the festive season rush.
Paseka Letsatsi, Sassa spokesperson, said the December payment of social grants will start from 28 November 2019 with payments for January 2020 made on 31 December. He said the process applies to beneficiaries who collect their money from ATM’s and stores.
Letsatsi said beneficiaries who receive their payments in cash at Sassa pay points will receive grants for the month of December from 2 December on their specific days communicated during their last payment.
“January social grants will be available from 31 December 2019, because 1 January 2020 is a public holiday. The early December payment should not be seen as a bonus or double payment as it is mainly intended for the convenience of beneficiaries. Sassa does not pay a bonus at all and beneficiaries are paid for 12 months only per year,” said Letsatsi.
Beneficiaries are urged to be on high alert, protect their pins and avoid giving strangers their ID numbers, even if they claim to be from Sassa. “The pin is a beneficiary’s secret.
“They should not fall prey to scams distributed through WhatsApp, SMS and/or social media,” said Letsatsi.
When in doubt, beneficiaries are advised to call Sassa toll free on 0800-601-011 if they are in doubt about something or want to report anything.
