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87 Year Old South African Woman Denied Pension Unless She Sang Song
Newcastle - Government welfare officials have given new meaning to the expression “sing for your supper”.
Ria van Straaten, a frail 87-year-old from Newcastle, was made to sing over a public address system before collecting her R1 200 grant at a pension paypoint last month.
This angered the woman’s son, Braam, 63, who told The Witness on Tuesday he would lodge a complaint with Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.
Humiliated
A close family member had drawn attention to Van Straaten’s humiliation in a letter to The Witness.
Braam van Straaten said his mother was mortified and too embarrassed to speak to the media.
He said a SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) official had refused to assist his mother unless she sang.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Woman-87-told-to-sing-for-her-pension-20130410
Ria van Straaten, a frail 87-year-old from Newcastle, was made to sing over a public address system before collecting her R1 200 grant at a pension paypoint last month.
This angered the woman’s son, Braam, 63, who told The Witness on Tuesday he would lodge a complaint with Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.
Humiliated
A close family member had drawn attention to Van Straaten’s humiliation in a letter to The Witness.
Braam van Straaten said his mother was mortified and too embarrassed to speak to the media.
He said a SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) official had refused to assist his mother unless she sang.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Woman-87-told-to-sing-for-her-pension-20130410
