KAROO NEWS - Despite the gradual reopening of services from departments such as Home Affairs and SASSA, residents of outlying towns in the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality are finding it difficult to access these services.
According to Cllr Eldrige Ruiters of Aberdeen, when he raised the problem, he was told surrounding towns cannot receive services because there is no safe hall or office space that can be used in any of the towns.
“It is expensive, unsafe and often impossible for people to travel hundreds of kilometres to access offices,” said Ruiters.” People arrive late at the offices because of transport problems, and then are turned away because the limited number of clients allowed has already been reached.”
Ruiters feels that the municipality should work with these departments, and the Department of Health, to declare facilities safe so that people can be helped in their own towns.
One major problem area is for women who recently gave birth. To get a child grant, a birth certificate is needed. The normal procedure is that Home Affairs collects birth documents from the hospitals, and once the paperwork is complete, they will deliver the child’s birth certificate either to the hospital or to the new mother directly. The mother can then go to SASSA, on their weekly visit to her local town, and apply for the grant.
One young mother in Aberdeen told of her battle to register her son, who was born on 28 March. "Home Affairs did not collect my baby's birth documents, and the hospital at first did not want to give them to me – I had to go back three times. Now I must take my baby to Graaff-Reinet next week, and wait in queues to get his birth certificate so that I can apply for the SASSA grant.” Ruiters said it is likely that the mother will need to make another trip, as by the time she gets the birth certificate, it will be too late to be admitted to the SASSA queue.
Neither SASSA nor Home Affairs could be reached for comment, and acting municipal spokesperson Edwardine Abader said that these queries cannot be responded to by the municipality.
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