‘System didn’t recognise me’: SASSA pensioner’s grant suspended over ID glitch

For one SASSA beneficiary, the review process didn’t just cause inconvenience; it cost her the grant entirely. Vanessa E Brown explained that she “couldn’t pass SASSA’s facial verification because I have a Green ID,” and from there, things only got harder. Unable to travel to her local SASSA office, she wrote: “I can’t stand in a queue that starts before sunrise. I use a wheelchair and have nobody to take me. And I live with COPD, the exertion and exposure could make me seriously ill.”

The result, she said plainly: “So, my grant has been suspended.”

Every Fix Leads to a New Wall

Told that getting a Smart ID would solve the problem, Brown made the trip to her nearest Capitec. It didn’t go as planned. “They took four pictures. Each time, the system didn’t recognise me; apparently, I no longer look enough like myself. I was told to go to Home Affairs instead.”

Home Affairs offered no relief either. “I registered online to book an appointment at Home Affairs, only to find out that the branch I’m able to reach doesn’t take appointments at all, it’s already too overwhelmed with walk-ins. To be seen, I’d need to queue from 4am.”

Keeping Her Dignity Over Her Grant

Brown’s conclusion was one of quiet defiance rather than despair: “So no, it isn’t simple for everyone. Some of us solve one roadblock and land straight into the next one. Maybe one day things will change. Until then, SASSA can keep their money and I’ll keep my little green ID. I will find a way to survive that doesn’t cost me my dignity.”

Her story has resonated widely, drawing five replies and counting, a reflection of how many other elderly and disabled South Africans may be facing the same silent, compounding obstacles.

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