10 February 2025
Community worker Mary-Ann Petersen outside the SASSA office in Bellville on 5 February. She had joined the queue at 10pm to hold space for disability grant applicants who could not be outside in the cold overnight. But even so she was not among the first people served. Photos: Marecia Damons
Staff at the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) branch in Bellville have started opening their doors earlier to deal with the high number of people coming to the office for help.
Despite the morning rain on Wednesday, 5 February, over 100 people were already in line outside the office before 6am. Doors opened about 15 minutes later.
SASSA’s official operating hours are from 7:30am to 4pm. Bellville staff are now opening their doors to beneficiaries by 6:30am to better manage the large numbers. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the office deals with disability grant-related queries, generally SASSA’s busiest days.
SASSA Western Cape spokesperson Shivani Wahab told GroundUp that the Bellville office is among the busiest in the metro, with a consistently high intake of beneficiaries daily.
To manage the long queues, the office has implemented new measures, including earlier operating hours, said Wahab.
This reporter also saw that staff had separated beneficiaries into five queues: those with appointments, without appointments, referral letters, and a queue for general inquiries. Beneficiaries with appointment dates are prioritised.
By the end of the day on Wednesday, Wahab said the Bellville branch had assisted 286 beneficiaries.
Despite the improved system, we still found many people who had slept outside the office and many more who joined the queue in the early hours to secure their place.
The line snakes around the office. Those near the front could sit on chairs while they wait to be let in.
Returning beneficiary Abigail Scheepers from Bishop Lavis slept in the queue to apply for a disability grant. She was on the grant eight years ago before she returned to work. “I can’t work anymore due to arthritis and problems with my back. I’m in a lot of pain and on a lot of meds,” she said.
Scheepers brought a camping chair and a fleece blanket. “It’s not nice, but it’s a sacrifice we have to make,” she said.
Community worker Mary-Ann Petersen joined the queue at 10pm to hold space for disability grant applicants who could not be outside in the cold overnight. “When I got here, there were already more than 50 people sleeping in the line,” she said. Sometimes she starts queuing for the next day from the time the office closes.
Petersen said the lack of facilities available overnight adds to the struggle. “People don’t take their tablets because if they drink water, they’ll need to pay R5 to use the bathroom at the garage,” she said.
Petersen had been holding a spot for Christine Jacobs from Delft, who arrived at 6am. “If she hadn’t done that, I would have had to sleep here too,” Jacobs explained.
Jacobs was there to reapply for the disability grant and to apply for a grant-in-aid for her husband, who had a stroke five years ago.
Wahab said that SASSA is working on expanding its service points to further alleviate congestion, with a new service centre planned for Fisantekraal.