The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) Athlone Local Office has officially resumed full operations, bringing an end to the service disruptions caused by the recent security guards’ strike.
The strike stemmed from a disagreement between security staff and the company contracted by SASSA.
The agency said: “Beneficiaries can now access all standard social grant services during regular weekday business hours.”
Sassa confirmed the office hours as 7.30pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday with queue managament starting at 6am daily.
Despite the full reopening, the main branch continues to experience high traffic, resulting in extended wait times and long queues.
While Sassa advised beneficiaries that camping out overnight is unnecessary, long queues remain a challenge for visitors.
However, mense can now go alternative service points. Heideveld Service Point at 167 Heideveld Road, Heideveld will be open on Mondays only, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a service point at the corner of Church Street and Langalibalele Drive will be operational Langa
Last month following a meeting with former Western Cape Social Development MEC Jaco Londt, Sassa announced plans to improve services, reduce queues, and accelerate digital transformation.
Key outcomes included supporting modernisation – like electronic queue management and self-service kiosks – and introducing Lungelwa Sigasana Makaula as Regional Executive Manager for the Western Cape.
To address winter demand, Sassa would add queue marshals, extend office hours, improve appointment scheduling, and monitor queues in real time.
While digital tools await equipment delivery, Sassa is tackling Home Affairs downtime, backlogs, Postbank support, and staff vacancies to address beneficiary needs.