Sassa to take over City’s disaster risk centre

Concerns that payments could be classified as irregular expenditure

THE South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) will take over the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) duties of co-ordinating humanitarian relief efforts for disasters like fires and floods.

Mayco member for Safety and Security and Social Services, JP Smith, said the DRMC has for many years conducted the assessments in the wake of local disasters.

“Towards the end of 2017, Sassa reassessed its policies and procedures in funding service providers (NGOs) who provide social relief to disaster victims.

“Amid concerns that the payments to service providers could possibly be classified as irregular expenditure in terms of the Public Finance Management Act and Sassa’s supply chain management policies, the agency decided to take over responsibility for activation of humanitarian relief and conduct the assessments itself,” Smith said.

He said the DRMC conducted assessments after local disasters to determine the number of people affected and their specific needs. Once the assessment was completed, one of the City’s non-governmental partners would be activated to provide relief.

He said Cape Town was the only city in the country that had service level agreements with NGOs like the Mustadafin Foundation, Salvation Army and Historically Disadvantaged Individual, who would provide relief including food, blankets and vanity packs to affected communities.

Their claims for reimbursement would be verified by the Disaster Risk Management Centre and submitted to Sassa for payment, Smith said.

“During the last quarter of 2017, the Disaster Risk Management Centre facilitated relief for 4 224 individuals affected by local disasters,” he said.

Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab said they were only able to attend to queries relating to this matter today.

During last year the DRMC provided 2 989 meals, 819 food parcels, 3 682 food parcels, 652 mattresses and 3 365 adult and baby vanity packs.

The new procedure to activate social relief for disaster victims is that the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre will notify Sassa of incidents where relief is required.

Sassa will then assume responsibility for notifying the service provider of the request and monitor the delivery of social relief to the disaster victims.

The City will continue providing materials for affected residents to rebuild their homes where required.