A team from the national Department of Social Development is visiting the Western Cape to outline the processes of the establishment of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), the government news agency, BuaNews, said on Monday.
The agency will ultimately take over from provinces the payment of social welfare grants.
The Director General of Social Development, Vusi Madonsela, and the official in charge of the establishment of the agency, Fezile Makiwane, will be visiting all nine provinces between July and August in a departmental roadshow.
The agency is scheduled to start work in April next year.
Madonsela said in a statement reported by BuaNews that Sassa is important given the fact that it will not only “shoulder a budget of over R55-billion” but “most importantly” will ensure that quality services are delivered for the most vulnerable members of society — the poor.
During the visits, the two men will meet government officials, service providers, NGOs and stakeholders, as well as beneficiaries.
In the Western Cape they will brief Allpay, one of the current service providers, and also hold discussions with the departments of health, local government and home affairs, as well as welfare organisations.
Meanwhile, Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya has said the process of establishing the agency is a significant development in the work of the government to transform service delivery for the poor and vulnerable, especially older persons, people with disabilities, and children.
BuaNews reported him as saying: “By embarking on this roadshow … we want to make sure that all stakeholders are briefed about the objectives as well as the processes of establishing the agency so that they can assist us accordingly.”
The visit to the Western Cape will be followed by visits to KwaZulu-Natal on July 22 and 23, Limpopo on July 26 and 27, Gauteng on July 29 and 30, Mpumalanga on August 2 and 3, Free State on August 5 and 6, North West on August 10 and 11, the Eastern Cape on August 12 and 13 and the Northern Cape on August 16 and 17. — I-Net Bridge