Stellenbosch residents no longer have to travel to Klapmuts for their social benefits as services of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has moved to Kylemore.
Sassa suspended services at the Eike Hall in Cloetesville in 2024, citing the ongoing gang violence in the neighbourhood as the reason.
The local Aan Het Pad Clinic followed the same fate and was permanently closed in January, in part due to safety concerns for both patients and staff.
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Since then Stellenbosch residents had to travel to Klapmuts for any Sassa related service.
However, for many locals travelling to Klapmuts to visit the Sassa offices was a tiresome and expensive exercise, with many complaining that upon their first visit, they often received an appointment date to return for help at a later stage.
Talks between Sassa and the Stellenbosch Municipality officials suggested the services may relocate to The Corridor in Khayamandi. Despite negotiations with the municipality for rental rates, Sassa ultimately decided against the move to the township following a security-risk assessment.
Shivani Wahab, director of marketing and communications for Sassa in the Western Cape, says the assessment identified safety concerns at The Corridor and services could not be rendered.
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Safety was also a concern of locals who claimed that moving services from Cloetesville to Khayamandi was simply moving Sassa from one “crime red zone to another”.
According to Wahab services in Kylemore are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. “Beneficiaries from Stellenbosch and surrounding areas, including Khayamandi may access services in Kylemore,” she says.
“Alternatively Sassa has an online application system that may be utilised for all new social grant applications.”
• For general enquiries, beneficiaries are urged to call Sassa’s toll-free number: 0800 60 10 11.
