An assessment of the impact of the management of the social security system on access to services in Limpopo Province

Abstract

In attacking poverty in post-apartheid South Africa, the country’s new government adopted a multiple approach focusing on building institutions and organisations on a macro regional and local level, levels to facilitate growth, reconstruction and social upliftment. In its effort to alleviate poverty and inequality, the Government of South Africa introduced a social security system. In an endeavour to address the deficiencies surrounding this system, the government has established a number of mechanisms. In order to distribute these grants to the right people in the right place, the government formed the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). The research problem was, therefore, to find out how the management and administration of social security by SASSA is enhancing or retarding access to the services for which the agency was established to render. The aim of this study was to assess how the management and administration of the social security system impact on the accessibility of social services by those who require them. In order to achieve the aim of this study, the following objectives were addressed: how social security is managed in the Limpopo Province; to assess the impact of the management of the system on access to services; to identify possible strategies that could enhance access to social security services; and to provide recommendations based on the literature and research findings. The findings of this study was that the administration system of the South African grant system has been somewhat cumbersome for both the applicant and the administrator because the forms used for most grants are detailed and often quite technical. Furthermore, it was established that were service delivery challenges of severe staff shortages at critical operational levels where grant applications are processed and infrastructural challenges such as insufficient office space (too many staff members in a specific office) and insufficient or no connectivity at certain service delivery points. These are all organisational challenges that SASSA is facing.

This research recommend that the Limpopo regional office must not only be responsible for giving information about newly enrolled recipients to the SASSA national office but the regional office should be able to complete the whole process within its offices without passing it on to the national office The research also recommends that a Monitoring and Evaluation unit must be established in regional offices. This unit will assist the management and administration of social grants in particular with improving services. This unit will visit different SASSA offices in the local municipalities on a regular basis in order to evaluate the performance of those particular offices. This will help to monitor the service delivery to the beneficiaries. Lastly, SASSA should do more research and development in consultation academic institutions or by structure within SASSA offices