The SA Social Security Agency’s (Sassa’s) Durban District office hasn’t paid its rent for over five years and owes over R6m, while the Northern Cape’s Ritchie Local Office has not paid rent for 10 years, reports GroundUp.

These are just a few of the answers given by the state agency in a parliamentary response in November 2022 to DA MP Bridget Masango’s question.

Delays with municipalities issuing invoices or sending the wrong invoices have caused these payment challenges, according to Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi.

Sassa listed at least 19 offices which had outstanding rent bills, of which seven are in KZN.

Sassa said it has since only paid the rent for some of these offices.

In the Eastern Cape, the Nelson Mandela Metro District Office, housed in a Post Office building in Gqeberha, has just over R1m outstanding rent. Similarly, the Kempton Park satellite office in Gauteng has not been paid for several months. Sassa said that invoices received in October 2022 were incorrect. In the Northern Cape, the Ritchie Local Office has not paid its rent for a decade. Letsatsi said that Sassa is still in negotiations with the landlord.

Sassa said invoices for municipal services have not been issued for its Phillipstown and Noupoort offices. Phillipstown municipal services haven’t been paid for over six years while Sassa disputes the rent amount due for the building it shares with the municipality.

Noupoort hasn’t paid its municipal bill for over eight years due to a ‘discrepancy’.

KZN has the most offices with outstanding rent, some of which had been outstanding for several years.

The Archie Gumede office’s rent hasn’t been paid for nearly 10 years. The Durban District office also hadn’t paid its rent for over five years and owed over R6m.

Full GroundUp report