Cape Town - It was an exercise in futility.
Lwazi Kolanisi from Town Two in Khayelitsha walked from his home to Blue Downs Post Office to collect his Covid-19 social relief of distress grant (SRD) but was left hopeless.
The close to three-hour walk a day did not yield any results for the 31-year-old.
“It is a long walk to disappointment,” said Kolanisi who has been unemployed since 2017. “The R350 makes a lot of difference for me and nephew. I buy groceries and we eat once or twice a day so that they don’t run out quickly.”
He said the tellers at the post office did not explain why his grant was not available.
“They just send me away without explaining why the money is not there. From observation, I am not the only one with this challenge. There are others who are turned away like me. I walk back disappointed and try to find food for us at home.”
Kolanisi is a performing artist but has not had a paying gig for a long time. He would sometimes get temporary working opportunities but that has dried up too.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reinstated grant until March next year following calls from civic organisations and political parties for the grant to be reinstated as the economic conditions of many remained unchanged or worsened.
“It is soul-breaking when I get there and I do not receive the money. My mouth just becomes dry and I feel my energy dropping. There is nothing I can do and I have no one to assist me in getting the money. It’s a traumatic experience because I go there with an expectation, only to be disappointed.”
There is a post office branch in Khayelitsha closer to where Kolanisi lives but he does not go there.
“They have a limited number of people they assist per day; to make the number I have to wake early while it’s still dark. Khayelitsha is not safe, I cannot walk to the post office while it’s dark as I would be risking my life.”
Asked why he did not use his bank account where the money can be deposited, Kolanisi said a bank is not an option for him.
“I have not had money in my bank for a long time. If I were to use it, there will be deductions and I would end up with close to nothing.”
South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) spokesperson Shivani Wahab said they found no application on record for Lwazi. “Sassa can confirm that there is no application on record for the client. Sassa Customer Care attempted to contact the client earlier today in respect of his Covid-19 grant application. His phone was on voicemail.”
She advised Lwazi to re-apply for the Covid-19 grant via the applicable online application channels.
Upon hearing this, Lwazi said he was confused as he received the grant in August but said he would apply once he was connected to the internet.
Weekend Argus