Long queue at Church Square post office for R350 Covid-19 relief grant
|Published
Pretoria - The long queue of people wanting their R350 Covid-19 relief grant at the SA Post Office branch on Church Square has become a regular sight in the heart of the nation’s capital.
In the queue are people from all corners of Tshwane, some of whom said yesterday they had been there since 4am. And for many of them, it is the only money they will lay their hands on before the Christmas holidays.
They braved the heat to stand in the queue, but from time to time some took turns to rest under the small trees nearby. Some even slept, opting not to move for fear of losing their places in the queue.
Informal traders have also been selling refreshments in the queue.
Itumeleng Maja, who was also in the queue, said he needed the money for the festive season so he could buy clothes and food for the family.
“It does not seem like lots of money, but to many of us it can solve a lot of problems. It is for this reason that I don’t mind waking up early to catch a bus from home in Hammanskraal to the CBD and join this queue.
“Sadly when I arrived here there were already lots of people from nearby areas such as Atteridgeville and Lotus Garden, but for as long as I get helped, it’s all good.”
Dikeledi Ledwaba said she needed the money to travel home to Ga-Mashashane in Limpopo to spend time with her family.
She said it was tradition for every member of her family to be together in December, especially on Christmas Day.
Tebogo Ntsele said she had not decided how to spend the money, but it would come in handy as the festive season progressed.
Meanwhile, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has come under criticism for allocating 10 officials to handle appeals made by people whose application for the R350 Covid-19 social relief of distress grant were rejected.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu disclosed in a parliamentary response to DA MP Alexandra Abrahams the number of officials handling the appeals.
Zulu said Sassa had no dedicated staff assigned to the special Covid-19 social relief of distress appeal process. "There is a core team of approximately 10 people who are driving the appeals process, in addition to the other responsibilities they have."
An additional 24 staff members have also been assigned to assist with the capturing and registering of appeals, while a minimum of two staff members per regions have been trained to assist, taking the total to approximately 52," she said.
Pretoria News