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Showing posts from January, 2023

SASSA Athlone receives 'gift' for preferential treatment of applicants

A group of grant applicants attending SASSA's Athlone office mid-2022 did not have to wait in a queue like other applicants and we're given priority. They did not even live in Athlone's area. This according to a 65 year-old who was in the group, they were taken there by an organiser known to staff. Allegedly, the organiser offered staff a gift, a "little something" for the favourable attention. SASSA's grant applicants at all branches must queue early, even 5am although offices open at 7am, and wait up to 8 hours on the first-come-first-serve basis without a guarantee of being seen. Often they're turned away and must return again and again. Applicants for pension called "old age grants", disability, child welfare present themselves to the nearest SASSA office to where they live with their ID and bank statement. During the screening interview officers tell them what do documents to bring if they haven't already done so. They may have to return...

Daily Maverick, media still enthralled to Ramaphoria

 After all that's happened in 2022 - Eskom's on-going meltdown and load shedding, Phala Phala, Jacob Zuma's numerous court cases - South Africa's left media, Daily Maverick in particular, is still enthralled to Ramaphoria, the cult of ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa. It shows how out of touch they are with reality that Daily Maverick named suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkwebane as its villain of the year in an article written by Marianne Thank on December 29. Not Eskom which is slowly strangling the life out of the country, not the three stooges responsible for it - Ramaphosa, Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan.  Not lame-duck-since-he-was-elected president Ramaphosa under whose "leadership" the country is declining.  Not Ramaphosa personally who has his own scandal - Phala Phala - and if the law were really equal would have, should have been impeached and criminal charges brought against him. But the media has been relatively quiet about his transgressions. I...