Africa-Press – Namibia. PENSIONERS at Walvis Bay say issues surrounding the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant are destroying friendships.
Some Walvis Bay residents receive a monthly grant from Sassa, as a result of a 1994 bilateral agreement between South Africa and Namibia which compels South Africa to continue paying social grants to its citizens who lived at Walvis Bay at that time.
The Namibian recently reported that a group of pensioners accused grants administrator Isabel Fortuin of treating some pensioners badly, while favouring others. The group claimed Fortuin verbally abused them for years and left them standing in long queues for hours.
Other pensioners, however, defended Fortuin yesterday, and said despite working under pressure, she never treated them badly. “Old people are difficult. It is not easy to handle them. They are unruly and always make a noise in front of the office but she never spoke with disrespect to me,” said *Johanna Smith.
Pensioners who were supportive of Fortuin, put their phone numbers on a list in order to provide comment to The Namibian. “Yes, I put my number on the list last week, but I have now decided not to get involved,” said *Cindy Martins.
Those who claimed they were abused, noted that the pensioners siding with Fortuin are Coloured and White, and are always treated with respect. “They are not from Kuisebmond. We go through things because of our colour at that office,” said *Anna Moses.
“We stand in lines all day long with our weak legs. Sometimes she comes out and helps the ones from town and Narraville while they sit in their cars. We are told that their legs are weak or they are disabled. Our own disabled people line up here in wheelchairs after being dropped off by taxi. It is not fair,” said *Alma Jonas. The elderly at Walvis Bay previously had strong bonds dating back over 50 years, but today many are not speaking to each other. Narraville resident Fatima Bezuidenhout is very unhappy about these divisions. “I have a problem with my fellow Coloureds. I don’t mind if you use my name, because my people need to tell the truth. The woman treats people from Kuisebmond badly and everyone knows it,” she said. Fortuin said she never treated the elderly like animals, but sometimes asked them to be an example to younger people.
“These are over 500 people I handle alone. They sometimes push each other, make noise, and act unruly. Why don’t they just tell me how they feel when we are sitting in the office so that I’m aware of it?”
Fortuin added that she sometimes tries to obtain chairs from the community without much help, although the secretary of the mayor’s office delivers chairs on Thursday mornings.
*Victoria Shona, who does not receive a Sassa grant, has no problem with her peers receiving double social grants, but is unhappy about the sudden disunity.
“We are now old and friends. We have all known each other for over 50 years. Black and white does not really matter anymore, but now we are divided because of this pension issue.”
Sassa currently pays social grants to 579 beneficiaries in Namibia. A delegation of Sassa officials is currently in the country to review the verification process of active beneficiaries.
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