12 August 2014
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape welcomes the announcement by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to review the use of biometric system. The announcement is in line with the call we have made as early as February; it was clear that the system will not make the lives of the poor and elderly any easy. We are of the view that the review process as announced should not be a boardroom exercise but a public participatory process on how best this service can be improved.
As we have said that this biometric system will complicate the lives of the poor who are social grant beneficiaries because it is onerous, concrete experience has proven us right. It is in this context that we have called on government to halt and review the decision by SASSA to use biometric system and get to the bottom of what informed the decision to use the biometric system in its current form.
We believe that the review of the system will help in introducing system that is user friendly to the social grant beneficiaries in general and elderly in particular and protect the state from corrupt elements. It is our firm view, as the Communist Party, that people, whether they receive social assistance or not, should be afforded their freedom of choice. They should choose their own cell phone network provider instead of being forced to use a certain network provider.
We trust that the decision to review the biometric system in its current form will not be "a by the way" matter but a serious issue for social development. We are calling on our government to ensure that all agencies who are servicing our people put people first. The interest of the people should be at the centre of all decisions.
Issued by SACP Eastern Cape.
Contact:
Siyabonga Mdodi
SACP Provincial Spokesperson
Cell : 0833588070
Fax : 0862681281
Email : simdodi@gmail.com