Mistreated at SASSA

I would like to lodge a very serious grievance against the doctor working at the SASSA offices in Meyerton as well as Vereeniging. It is a female doctor serving both offices, but she is very ****** and unprofessional.

My husband app**** for a disability grant July 2024 in Meyerton, we supp**** the doctor with all the medical reports requested. When it was his turn to see the doctor, she didn't even take the medical reports or read through them. She asked him what was wrong with him, and he asked her to read the report as he cannot fully explain it to her. However she rep**** that there is nothing wrong with him and she declined his application. In the letter in which she declined the application, she stated that his condition is curable with medication.

How would she even know what his condition is, if she didn't take the time to look at his medical report from the psychiatrist. The letter also states that you have to provide medical reports to staff your disability. We provided the reports which stated that my husband is mentally not able to work. He has Tourettes Syndrome, Bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD and the signal from his small brain to control his emotions is not functioning like it should, which is causing him to be aggressive and impulsive at times. This causes him to be socially unable to work or communicate with people. The report also states that there is currently no medication to assist with his condition. We handed in an appeal at the Meyerton office and we never heard one word about it again.

This year in January we went to the Vereeniging SASSA office as we were told that it is the main branch. We reapp**** for the disability grant again. On the 4th of February 2025 he had an appointment to see the doctor. The same happened once again and it was the exact same doctor who saw him in Meyerton. She asked my husband what was wrong with him, and he asked her once again to please read the medical report. She rep**** that she doesn't have time to read through anything. My husband tried to explain to her that he cannot explain his condition and she started laughing at him in his face. He got upset and asked her to stop laughing at him. She said she will process his application and he can go wait with the others. She also said that if he wants to lodge an appeal on her decision, they will take 2 years with it. He sat there the whole day from 06:30 am to 16:00pm. They then told everyone that they are offline and they should come back on Friday the 7th of February 2025. On Friday he sat there for 3 hours, just to receive the same letter from the doctor stating that his condition is curable with medication and that you should provide a medical report as proof of your condition.

Again I ask you, how would she know what his condition is, if she didn't read the report. She is actually insulting the psychiatrist, making her out to be incompetant. Every time my husband has to go to SASSA I have to make arrangements at my workplace to take him as he cannot drive himself. This is highly unprofessional behaviour from a doctor. I feel that if we appeal her decision that they won't put it through the channels and it will disappear once again. Please advise on how to go forward as this is unacceptable. I cannot afford to take him to the psychiatrist again to get an updated report.

I hope you take this matter very seriously as it is very unsettling to be treated like this. No one has to feel useless because of his/her mental state.

Awaiting your urgent reply.