By Olebogeng Molale
An elderly woman from Promised Land was agitated after her pension money was stolen in what is believed to be an ongoing scam in Kimberley.
Joyce Busang could not withdraw money using her SASSA card at the Kimberly post office on 7 July. Upon inquiry, she was informed that there were no funds in her account.
Busang says she is still puzzled about the incident. She indicated that she had R 3000 on her SASSA card, belonging to herself and grand-children. The disheartened granny could not hold back her tears and is concerned about the wellbeing of her family.
“I am very hurt about what happened. When I got to the post office, I gave the teller my SASSA card to withdraw money. After inserting my card into the machine, the teller told me that there is no money. I was given a paper to fill to enable the post office to conduct investigations. I was told to only come at the end of July,” explained Busang.
A few days later, Busang received a letter from the Post Office informing her that according to their preliminary investigation the money was withdrawn in at Nedbank in Johannesburg.
The grandmother informed us that she wanted to warn other pensioners to beware of scammers and avoid the traumatic experience. She added, “I am also worried that maybe I am not the only one to have gone through this traumatic experience.”
Meanwhile, the post office has issued a letter confirming that the matter is under investigation. Busang was encouraged to change her card pin.
Sassa spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi, has called on social grants recipients to be vigilant all the time. He encouraged them to visit the nearest Sassa offices or report to the nearest police station if they are suspicious of any criminal activity. “We always advise our beneficiaries that SASSA services are free and not for sale. Beneficiaries should also refrain from sending ID numbers, Pins and SASSA card numbers to strangers as these are part of scrams to defraud them,” cautioned Letsatsi.
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