For eight years, Mohlaba Mangena, 51, who has one arm, has tried unsuccessfully to access the government disability grant.
Detailing his plight to the Sowetan, Mangena told of how he lost his arm during an accident at work back in 2011.
Since then, the father of three from Germiston said he tried unsuccessfully to access the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant.
“Currently, I live off the R350 social relief distress (SRD) grant but I've been trying to get Sassa ever since I got my artificial arm in 2013. In 2013 I went to the office in Germiston and I was told that I should consult with my doctor and get a letter that proves I have an injury.
“From there I struggled to see my doctor at Netcare Union Hospital in Alberton because I was told to make an appointment and I didn't get any luck. Eventually, I gave up but decided to try again this year and went to the Sassa offices in Reiger Park on November 18 to apply.
“I was told again to get documentation from a doctor proving my injury,” he said.
When Sowetan visited the Germiston offices on Friday, Mangena said he had been waiting for hours to get assistance but the line was moving slowly. “We've been told the reason why the queue was moving slowly was because the system is offline.”
Mangena said he had spent nearly R200 in taxi fares for the trips between the different Sassa offices. “This grant will help me to pay for my children’s scholar transport and pay rent for the room my son is renting in Johannesburg while he completes his studies,” he said.
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Mangena's story is not a unique one as many South Africans have had to repeatedly go to Sassa offices to apply for social grants without getting help. More than 18.4 million South Africans receive social grants.
While delivering his first mid-term budget policy speech, finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced that 27.8-million residents were recipients of social grants, which accounts for 46% of the population.
In their annual report, Gauteng provincial department of social development had a target of 4,072 social relief recommendations but only 319 were approved.
The report stated that the figures contained were not the achievements for the entire financial year of 2020/2021 but for the first quarter, which was from April to June.
Another Germiston resident, Benni Shozi, 34, said for the past three weeks he had been trying to get his R350 SRD grant as his application was approved in early November.
“I've been making fruitless trips to the Sasaa offices. I've not been assisted due to the office’s poor network connectivity and system being offline.
“This hurts. I walk 25 minutes every day from my place to come here and leave without being assisted,” said Shozi.
He said once he gets the money, he will buy a cheap smartphone so that he can use it to apply for jobs.
In Dobsonville, Soweto, the scene was the same with long queues of women, some standing while others were seated on chairs and crates.
Zinhle Mokoena, 28, said she first went to the Soweto office on November 17 to apply for a child support grant and was given an appointment date for November 25.
Mokoena said she and a group of other women arrived around 5am in the morning. The centre opens at 7.30am and by 2pm they had not been assisted due to technical glitches in the system.
“The system has been slow since this morning. This is painful because I do not have any source of income,” Mokoena said.
Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi had not responded to Sowetan's request for comment sent to him on Friday via email and text messages.
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