The gang violence in Cloetesville has resulted in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) no longer making use of the Eikestad Hall, located in Lang Road in Cloetesville, as a service point to assist community members, as of July.
This is according to Mario Slingers, the caretaker at Eikestad Hall.
When there is shooting and gang violence in the area, the gates to Eikestad Hall in Cloetesville are closed for the safety of the community members, said Mario Slingers, the caretaker at Eikestad Hall. PHOTO: Lara Smith
SASSA is an agency that assists people in applying for social grants such as child support, disability, foster care, pensions and care dependency, at their service points, according to the SASSA website.
Slingers said that the new service point for Cloetesville community members is the Klapmuts Multi-Purpose Centre, more than 14 km away from Cloetesville.
The threat of gang violence
SASSA and Eikestad Hall have security on hand in case of gang violence. While gang violence does not occur within the premises of Eikestad Hall, it is a problem in the community, said Slingers.
People would arrive at the hall as early as 6:00, which means that they would walk in the darkness of the early morning hours. Furthermore, many of these people would walk alone, making them targets for gang violence, claimed Slingers.
The distance from Cloetesville to the Klapmuts Multi-Purpose Centre is 14.2 km. Travelling this distance requires people to spend money on transportation that they cannot afford, claimed Joshwin Jacobs, a resident of Cloetesville. GRAPHIC: Lara Smith
‘People don’t have transport, that is the problem’
Despite SASSA no longer using Eikestad Hall as a venue, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) still uses the venue to carry out their services, said Joshwin Jacobs, a resident of Cloetesville.
Jacobs said that he would have to make use of a taxi or pay someone to take him to Klapmuts.
“People don’t have transport, that is the problem. We don’t have transport. It is old people, it is mothers with small children, and one person walking with another. All these factors must be taken into account,” said Slingers.
SASSA service point history
During the Covid-19 pandemic, SASSA made use of StellCARE, a local non-profit organisation located in Stellenbosch, as a service point, said Bettie Nieuwoudt, the director of StellCARE.
After the pandemic, SASSA reached an agreement with the municipality to use the Eikestad Hall located in Cloetesville as their service point, said Nieuwoudt.
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) put up a sign outside Eikestad Hall on 2 July informing community members that their new service point would be Klapmuts. However, their failure to inform certain community members resulted in confusion as to the location of the new service point, according to Mario Slingers, the caretaker at Eikestad Hall. PHOTO: Lara Smith
Members of the community turned to StellCARE for verification regarding the circulation of rumours that SASSA stopped serving the Cloetesville community once again, according to Nieuwoudt.
“It was only upon my inquiry that I was informed that SASSA stopped their services [in July] due to a safety risk based on the ongoing gang violence,” she said.
SASSA did not respond to SMF News’ request for comment by the time of publication.