SASSA has closed its office in Umlazi after a labour department inspection found the building unsafe, GroundUp reported. SASSA announced on 21 October that inspectors had ordered the office to close immediately.
Provincial labour department spokesperson Nhlanhla Khumalo said the inspection took place earlier in October. He said the department acted after complaints from “various stakeholders” about unsafe working conditions. Khumalo said the concerns included loose cables touching water and a structural roof collapse.
“It is going to be difficult for most of us because we don’t have money to go to [other] SASSA offices,” said grant beneficiary Janette Mncadi, 83.
Mncadi said she is too old to travel to an office further away. She said SASSA should have found other offices sooner.
SASSA said in a statement that it was “at the advanced stage in securing alternative office accommodation”. Umlazi staff will work from other SASSA offices around Durban until a new office is found.
Beneficiaries received a list of the nearest branches, including Chatsworth, Lamontville and Durban Station. GroundUp visited the Chatsworth and Lamontville offices on Wednesday and found them mostly empty. Some people in line there said they had waited for more than two hours.
People at the Durban Station branch told GroundUp they had waited even longer. A mother holding her newborn said she had been in line since 3am. She had still not been helped by 1pm. She wanted to apply for a child support grant.
“When I arrived, there were already people camping outside the offices. I have been turned away three times for no reason. Sometimes they will just tell us that the system is down,” she said.
Sibongiseni Mkhize, who is applying for a disability grant, said the process has become much harder since the closure. Mkhize said the trip to Umlazi cost R16. He said he now pays R28 for a taxi to the city centre, then walks another 30 minutes to the offices. Mkhize has had to return several times and has no grant yet, which makes the trip hard to afford, GroundUp reported.
Thulisile Mngadi has traded outside the Umlazi office for more than 20 years. Mngadi said traders were shocked when some beneficiaries told them the office had closed.
“We knew the offices were going to be relocated … because many SASSA beneficiaries and workers were complaining about the deteriorating infrastructure and broken toilets, but we were not expecting they would move them so quickly,” Mngadi said.
The building belongs to the provincial public works department and was allocated to SASSA. Public works spokesperson Steve Bhengu said SASSA would carry out assessments and repairs. GroundUp had reported on long queues and worsening conditions at the office the month before the closure.
Source: this article is based on reporting by GroundUp. Image: GroundUp. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.