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Payments are expected to be made starting May 15 to people who are unemployed and receive no other government aid.
Pensioner Anne Snyman leaves Mitchells Plain city center after collecting her pension payment on March 30, 2020. She said she was in line for six hours. Image: Kaylynn Palm / EWN
CAPE TOWN – The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) said a WhatsApp line and email account would take effect starting Monday for South Africans to start applying for the COVID-19 relief grant.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that a new R350 coronavirus unemployment allowance per month for the next six months through October.
Payments are expected to be made starting May 15 to people who are unemployed and receive no other government aid.
Shivani Wahab of the Social Security Agency said an applicant would need a bank account and, if he did not have it, Sassa was looking for the option of cell phone money transfers.
Wahab said the following criteria must be met for the request to be approved.
“Basically, you have to be unemployed in South Africa, you have to be a permanent resident in South Africa or a refugee who is registered in the Home Affairs system, you have to be over 18 years old and especially not receive any other government aid, basically not It will be funded by the South African government and will also apply for this COVID-19 unemployment grant. “
Wahab said his established COVID-19 relief grant system had already been tested.
“We expect this to take two to three business days. The process from application to approval, we want this to be as painless as possible, but what I want the public to understand is that once the application is submitted, Sassa has We check your details to incorporate it into our software system and our system also interfaces with other government departments just to make sure you qualify. “
Wahab said Sassa’s offices would be open on Level 4 of the shutdown.
“We are taking a gradual approach to ensure a balance between starting our business and at the same time helping citizens, but with the current security that we must take into account, we will work on a rotating basis with our staff, but our They will be open from May 4, 2020.
LOOK: COVID-19 situation table – April 30, 2020 PM
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