First published by GroundUp.

Hundreds of people queued outside the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices in Bellville last week, hoping to get disability grants. Some of the beneficiaries had been queueing since early in the morning and others had slept outside the office the night before. This is a typical scene at the beginning of every month.

We visited the office on 4 May and spoke to people in the queue. They had travelled from Elsies River, Bothasig and Delft. And for some this was the second or third time they’d been queuing, hoping to renew their grants.

The disability grants lapsed at the end of December 2020, after being extended during the Covid-19 lockdown, and this means that many beneficiaries have to go to Sassa’s offices to renew their grants. DM