KAROO NEWS - People receiving social grants payments lined up in queues to draw their Sassa payments at ATMs from 5am on Monday. They then had to wait their turn to access supermarkets for much-needed lockdown shopping.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday 28 March relaxed regulations to allow people to collect their social grants payments and do shopping from 30 March until 3 April.
Regulations surrounding public transport were also relaxed, to transport the Sassa beneficiaries.
At Pick n Pay and Shoprite, only nine and five shoppers respectively were allowed to enter at a time.
Cheryl Waddelow, owner of Pick n Pay, said provision was made for the elderly, disabled and children who came to do shopping on behalf of the elderly. They were allowed to shop before the others and chairs were also made available if waiting people needed to rest.
People waiting to enter Shoprite.
At most of the shops, special pay points were identified for the social grant shopping, while people doing their daily shopping were helped at separate pay points. With the fear that the elderly, disabled and children could be robbed, police were visible at all ATMs, supermarkets, shops and other outlets.
They also held roadblocks to make sure that taxi drivers adhered to the regulations set out in the Government Gazette.
Daphne Buys came to town on behalf of her elderly father, Frans.
There were long queues in front of ATMs.
Cheryl Waddelow, owner of Pick n Pay, in her office on Monday morning.
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