There was a sense of immense frustration on Monday, as some SASSA beneficiaries encountered problems when trying to withdraw their grants at the post office and through other payment channels. This was due to a network problem on the side of the South African Post Office (SAPO) grant payment system.

According to SASSA, the grant money has been reversed into the affected beneficiaries’ accounts and is now available for withdrawal. SASSA said it is working together with all relevant stakeholders on its value chain to avoid a repeat of this situation in future.

“We would like to sincerely apologise to the affected beneficiaries and their families for yesterday’s disruption in grant payments. SASSA and the Post Office are working on preventative measures to ensure that such a disruption does not occur in future,” said SASSA Acting CEO Abraham Mahlangu.

Beneficiaries are requested to direct further queries to the SASSA toll-free number on 0800 60 10 11