Port Elizabeth - The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) on Friday, urged beneficiaries of social grants to ignore messages currently doing rounds on social media, claiming that Sassa provides uniforms and stationery to school children who receive the Child Support Grant.
Sassa acting national spokesperson, Moabi Pitsi, said the information circulated on social media over the past week was not accurate.
Pitsi said that Sassa did not supply stationery to school children as it was not within the Sassa mandate.
“School uniforms are provided as part of the Social Relief of Distress programme. However, this programme is implemented in terms of the Social Assistance Act, 2004, and all prospective beneficiaries have to meet legislated criteria," Pitsi said.
"The programme is facilitated after engagement with principals of identified schools, and an assessment is conducted by Sassa. Furthermore, children who are to benefit from this programme have already been identified and orders for the uniforms placed through local co-operatives, who sew the uniforms.”
Pitsi discouraged anyone from retweeting or circulating false messages as it was causing confusion among beneficiaries of social grants.