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Long queues at a SASSA pay-point.
Elderly social grant beneficiaries in Phoenix, north of Durban, have raised concerns after enduring long queues and harsh conditions at a local SASSA office.
Residents say they arrived early in the morning but received little to no assistance from officials.
Many described standing in long lines under the sun while trying to access social support services.
Local leaders have called for urgent intervention to address the situation.
Councillor Dr Jonathan Annipen says the conditions are unacceptable.
“This is a great tragedy because many of these individuals, if not all of these individuals, go there as vulnerable citizens. Many of them are elderly, and the very fact that they are going out to SASSA to apply for a grant, whether it’s an old-age grant or a disability grant, means that these are desperate people. They do not have the resources to make multiple trips to the offices, and it seems as though there’s very little concern, if any, from those officials at the SASSA office in Phoenix about the plight of these individuals,” said Annipen.
The South African Social Security Agency in KwaZulu-Natal has not yet commented on the matter.
Elderly beneficiaries in Phoenix are forced to endure hours in long queues
