Social Development Minister Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe has congratulated the social grant beneficiaries who excelled in the 2024 matric examinations.
Speaking at the strategic planning of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in Cape Town on Tuesday, Tolashe noted that out of 724 156 full-time learners who registered for the National Senior Certificate, 572 338 were social grant beneficiaries.
The Sassa beneficiaries achieved a commendable pass rate of 86%.
“This indicates that the investment government is making in the lives of poor and vulnerable children is yielding positive impacts in breaking inter-generational poverty,” she said.
Tolashe pledged her support and commitment to improving Sassa services when she reflected on the entity’s recent achievements.
She committed to urgently addressing the issue of permanent leadership appointments and personnel shortages at most local offices.
The Minister highlighted the need for community-based engagements and outreach activities.
“Our community is waiting for our immense intensification of community outreach where we prioritise the underserved areas to bring services closer to our people,” she said.
Tolashe also urged Sassa management to prioritise improving and modernising the systems to enhance accessibility, queue management and prevent fraud.
She also requested Sassa acting CEO, Themba Matlou, to provide a plan that sought to resolve the challenges of payment channels in rural areas by providing an alternative solution for payments.
“We commit ourselves to work with you as Minister and Deputy Minister of Social Development. We are available at all times to address the challenges together. We all need to be solution-driven in our course to make changes to the lives of our people through concerted efforts,” Tolashe said.