MS
MERLE S
Active since Nov 2011
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2 reviews11 months ago
DISSATISFIED WITH SOCIAL SERVICES AND SASSA
I became a Foster Parent to a mentally challenged child when he was 3days old. We were asked to him comfortable as he may not live pass 3months old, This little baby boy had a stroke on being born affected his brain in that it made him remain the age of a 2year old mentality, Also Living with Cerebral Palsy, Autistic, and HIV Positive, very sensitive to being touched on his feet. Suffers with a lot of Pain. Due to our care and love he turned 18yrs last year June. During his Foster Care with us, he was lost twice in the System, I had to call all the Social Services to check if he was logged with them. His Social Worker, Miss Pertersen, visited I think twice and I constantly emailed or called her to update her on his progress or problems we experienced, she and neither did his previous Social Worker check on him or help me with anything on his Medical Side. We managed to find a very great and caring doctor, at the Groote Schuur Hospital, who helped us so much, referring our son to other doctors etc. Dr Zieff was truly a blessing in helping our son. Back to my present problem. Before my son turned 18, I constantly requested help from the Social Worker as to what happens with his Medical Issues, will he continue to be seen by the Public Hospitals and pay a minimum fee. Also at 18 due to him being Mentally Challenged, he does not Speak and still uses a nappy. So i explained this to the Social Worker as well, that he will still need a grant as he has to be supervised 24/7, and his Adult Nappies and Wipes and Gloves, cost us between R1600-00 and R2000-00, she never advise me what steps to take. He turned 18 and from last year I am battling to get his grant and free hospital treatment for him. His Social Worker informed me there is a New Social Worker in charge of his case, but she will help us by Contacting Home Affairs and SASSA, a lady from SASSA did contact me, all of his Medical Records was okayed for a Grant. A lady from SASSA said he needs his own bank account before they can give him a grant. I explained to her the situation again that he was exempt from school, hates going out of his comfort zones, he will not be manageable, but i still contacted all the banks, and that was when I was informed, he needs a ID Book to open his Bank Account. From the Bank I contacted the lady from SASSA who was ignoring my calls, I had to call her from another number, then she answered. I informed her I am at the bank and they cannot open his bank account with his Birth Certificate, that's the only time she said to me, yes he must have his ID Book, I reminded her that herself and all the Senior People involved in getting the Paperwork to her and herself could clearly see he had no ID Book and only a Birth Certificate... now basically SASSA passed the buck to Home Affairs after I have been waiting from last year June. I was then contacted and told that Home Affairs could help me with an appointment, but I now must trace his mother for a Copy of her ID. This was when I totally lost my patience with everyone involved. He was born in TULBAGH, and I am in Cape Town. So as it stands this child is still with me, with no paperwork to say he is still in my care, he requires an operation at the Tygerberg Hospital, so he is presently living in Pain, all the people involved, are aware. but no compassion . If he was collecting a Grant, and is Registered as, us taking care of him, he will get a different payment amount for his operation. So now I sit with a sick boy wo cannot get his grant and so cannot access public hospital treatment either, He has to be on monthly medication, which we collect from the Groote Schuur Hospital and there is a bill to pay there as well every month. So a Child without a Voice, who does not fit into any of the boxes and no provisions are made for a child like him is presently not helped. His new Social Worker did come to my home a this month and told me in lots of creative ways, how even though his mentality is off a 2year old, he is out of their system because he is 18... so basically this child could disappear into thin air and no one will care, we are all he has. If anyone has any options here or even make a new law for a child like him, that could save another child. As if you don't fit in a box, you cannot be helped by Social Services or SASSA, one rule applies for everyone. Very Sad . The People Involved with is case are the Following: Jamie-lee Peterson - Old Social Worker Phumza Mkonjeni - New Social Worker Edith Mokonyane - SASSA Vuyo Buyapi - SASSA Nomfundo - SASSA Elizabeth Bond - SASSA, was helpful.
0 replies
62 months ago
DISSAPOINTED OLD MUTUAL POLICY HOLDER
Policy Number : 15753477 - Belonging to my husband CE Shunmugam was not Re Instated 8years after he had got Cancer when we Missed Premiums. We had notified our Broker Carmel Chazen off Claudes Cancer, when I queried this with Old Mutuals Underwriters - they advised it can be Reinstated but it must be Escalated to the Brokers Divisional Manager which both my Broker and her Manager refused to do for us. So a LIFE POLICY; LAST DIGNITY PLAN & SEVERE ILLNESS POLICY, which we were paying from our thirties got cancelled in our fifties. All the monies Paid was just for OLD Mutuals coffers. I fought for over a year even taking it to Old Mutuals Ombondsman, all was a waste of time. No one helped us at all. 2nd Policy Problem: 15753477 - for myself MV Shumugam the whole of last year during Covid I made sure to keep my Premiums up to date as I also have : LIFE, SEVERE ILLNESS and LAST DIGNITY PLAN Policy. In December I missed a Preminum I called the Old Mutual toll free customer care number in Jan 21 to ask them to please load a double payment, I was told I must wait for someone to call me back, no one did, I contacted the broker who originally did our policies out of desperation, Carmel Chazen I could only reach their offices when they got back from leave in January to be advised by Renae Van Der Berg, that my wonderful broker had retired and if I wanted assistance from them I have to sign with a new broker that works there. I then starting contacting Customer Care to sort out my Life Policy and its a utter nightmare trying to get through to them and getting any help. So I then emailed Customer Care again no help, I eventually got the forms to fill in for Re Instating my Policy, to be told via Email No it cannot be done and if I have a further problem I need to Contact the Actuaries. I am still waiting to hear how I must get hold of the Actuaries as they do not have a direct number or email and I was not given any details. Still waiting for someone to help me. MY RA : 010706153 Did not grow like my husbands also taken out in my thirties, was advised by the broker Carmel Chazen or sorry I forgot to put your RA into the Portfolio I put your husbands into.... Because I had had enough of dealing with Carmel, I got hold of a new broker to advise me, Very Nice and Efficient in the beginning, I advise her I needed to have a payout that at least will give me a monthly livable amount, my RA went throught last year just as our country just down for COVID ,so the amount put into my bank account got used to live on the month there was no work no pay. When the first amount came into my bank account as a monthly amount, I immediately sent a mail and left a message on the new brokers number to ask what had happened as the amount is not livable in anyway and the option I took was on her say so off vouching for it 100%, these decisions were made January to February last year before Covid Lockdowns started. I got no reply from the broker until eventually after a few months she emailed me she cannot help me as she has a promotion and she will get someone else to help me that took a few months also with me constantly emailing and calling... Broker is SILINDILE MNCUBE - by the way I am still waiting on her after a year now to help me. I also got hold of BONGANI TS**** who is supposed to be SILINDILE MANAGER, I sent him an email and in October 2020 got an email saying he is on study leave and will get back to me, that never happened.. I again this year starting emailing non stop and calling SILINDILE and BONGANI, I have got no updates from Silidile, last week Thursday 18/3 i got hold off BONGANI ON HIS CELL so he had to take my call, He said he would call me on the Friday as he was busy with a client on his landline (what a lucky client to get attention) he was more interested in knowing how I got his cell number. on the 18/3 Ialso emailed him my Policy Numbers and the Queries whic is now on my RA over a year and on my LIFE POLICY a few months. Needless to say I have till today heard nothing from Bongani not a call or an Email, I have called his landline and left messages as well on Friday and today and I also left a message on his cell. I am so disgusted with OLD MUTUAL... I am so sorry that we ever Invested with OLD MUTUAL in our thirties thinking we were going to be ok in our fifties. If I had taken the amount of money that I USED AND LOST to OLD MUTUAL over the years in Premiums and put it into an INVESTMENT ACC with my Bank I would be in a better position fiancilly today. IN Premiums we have lost alot off money and now in our fifties with my husband living with Cancer we have to work to keep a roof over our head and food on our table. Everytime I think off the monies lost to OLD MUTUAL I have a good cry. WE did all the right things in our thirties to be a bit more secure in our fifties we just made the mistake of trusting OLD MUTUAL to care about hardworking people who battled and did without over the years to make sue our Premiums were Paid, Today we have nothing just monies lost and trying to get help from OLD MUTUAL Staff who have no care to help people by just doing the jobs they are Paid to do. Please forgive my errors, my anger and emotions take over whenever I have to deal with OLD MUTUAL
53 replies
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