After intervention by Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld journalist Buks Viljoen, severely disabled Afrikaner pensioner Gerrie Viljoen, 52 -- who cannot speak nor move from his bed -- was personally given his South African social-security card (SASSA)for the pension he had been receiving ever since suffering a stroke 27 years ago which has left him severely disabled. Up to that point however, the personnel at the Witbank SASSA office had adamantly refused to issue his Sassa-card and would not pay his pension into his bank account unless he personally travelled to their office and signed for the card himself. After Beeld made urgent enquiries at the Sassa head-office a staff-member personally went to the White Rose Hospice where he is being cared for, and handed him his Sassa-card personally. Up to that point however, the family and friends who look after Mr Viljoen - who became severely disabled after suffering a stroke 27 years earlier -- was denied his pension-money he had been approved for -- unless he personally travelled to the SA agency for social security office (SASSA) in Witbank to sign his pension-card personally, wrote Viljoen. "When Beeld visited Gerrie Joubert, 52, he was on his bed in a hunched position, staring at us with clear, aware eyes. From his toothless mouth only meaningless sounds were uttered. He had a stroke 27 years ago. With his bent hand he pointed to an alphabet-card: the only way he can communicate is to strenuously tap each of the letters. After recent enquiries were made why the SA agency for social security had not paid in his pension-money into his bank account, their reply was that Mr Joubert would have to 'personally sign for his pension-card at their office'. Even though Joubert is registered for his pension, the Witbank-branch personnel of Sassa adamantly refused to give his social-security card (Sassa-card) to him. When Beeld made enquiries the Sassa personnel 'adamantly refused to give him his Sassa-card.'' A staff member at the Witbank ("eMalahleni") office said they insisted that Mr Joubert 'múst be brought here to the office: We will go and see him in the car when he arrives,' the woman said. However on Friday-morning, within 24 hours after Beeld sent an urgent formal enquiry about the inhumane treatment of Mr Joubert to Sassa's head office in Pretoria, he had his Sassa-card in his hand. The spokesman of Sassa Tshediso Mahlaku confirmed to Beeld that Mr Joubert was given his Sassa-card that morning. "Pension cards usually have to be fetched personally but in exceptional cases such as Mr Joubert's we will also pay home-visits.' His friends and family members said it was very frustrating to get Sassa to take this step. "We explained to the personnel there that he is severely disabled and bed-ridden,' said a friend Mrs Elena Brits. "But they didn't want to hear a thing'. Mr Joubert became disabled after the stroke when he was 25 years old. Since his mother Anna's death at the age of 79 a year earlier, he is under the care of the "White Rose Hospice'. His brother Dolf, who is a train-driver at Spoornet, said he is very worried about Gerrie's future. He retires three years from now, he said. "My sister Magda and I now contribute financially to his care. We even have to buy the diapers for him because the health authorities refuse to help him.''
http://www.beeld.com/nuus/2013-08-19-groot-gesukkel-vir-sy-pensioen
↧