Run down and offline: Here’s why Sassa offices are so crowded

Beneficiaries queuing outside the Sassa Bellville office. Picture: Gallo Images/Die Burger/Jaco Marais More than 19 million South Africans rely on social grants, yet the offices meant to serve them are frequently characterised by long queues, broken facilities and system outages caused by infrastructure problems. A presentation on Wednesday by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to parliament’s portfolio committee on social development revealed that deteriorating infrastructure, occupational health and safety (OHS) violations and problematic lease agreements are behind many of the conditions experienced by beneficiaries at local offices.

Sassa said the problems largely stem from the fact that most of its offices operate in leased buildings, where landlords control maintenance and repairs. Sassa told MPs that its national property portfolio consists of 462 facilities across the country. These include 102 properties leased through the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and 119 directly leased from private landlords, while 211 properties are shared with other government departments.

The agency said the arrangement leaves it with limited control over repairs and upgrades. “The relationship between landlord and NDPWI means Sassa has no control to fix all OHS non-compliance issues,” the presentation stated. The agency also noted that some offices operate from temporary facilities, such as park homes and porta-camps in areas where permanent infrastructure is unavailable, particularly in rural or high-demand locations.

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Sassa said several oversight visits by parliament, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and agency executives found “unfavourable office conditions” in many regions. These conditions have even led to contravention notices from the Department of Labour due to non-compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

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