SASSA mistakenly makes double payments while others get nothing

The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) was hit by accidental double payments in some areas, and no payments in others, due to glitches in the system as it tried to make payment days less crowded by extending the dates.

The elderly and disabled people are supposed to get their payments today However, most were not paid while others received doubled payments. According to the Voice of Cape, about 435 000 people in the Western Cape received doubled payments.

It seems that the SASSA system must have had an accidental glitch as it made double payments to others and nothing to others. SASSA spokesperson, Sandy Gondlwana confirmed that some recipients received nothing while most in the Western Cape had received more. The payments however are said to be getting reversed.

According to Gondlwana, the KZN SASSA spokesperson, the intention was to prevent the elderly from being exposed to large crowds by setting different categories of beneficiaries and allocating different days to them. SASSA spokespersons said they apologise for the glitch.

“It’s Western Cape that has an issue of double payments. We didn’t have an issue of double payments, but we had an issue of people not receiving the payment,” she said.

“We apologise, it was an inconvenience for them.”

Payments however will be made by 15:00, people can go withdraw or also go to the post office to get their payments or they can get them tomorrow.