Shadi Baloyi
13 April 2004
The Eastern Cape Social Development Department has gone online in order to keep the public informed and improve service delivery.
Social grants applicants will now be able to access their applications and queries by logging in to the website of the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development.
The department hopes the move will bridge the digital divide in the province and help to eliminate fraud and corruption.
The department has urged the public to use the website to expose corruption, or to report acts of corruption through the department's toll-free fraud hotline 0800 601 011.
"We urge and appeal to all communities to make use of this website and to report anyone who fraudulently misuses government funds that are aimed at providing relief for poor people", the department said in a statement.
The department has been working with the Joint Anti-Corruption Task Team, which has arrested medical doctors and prominent community members for fraud and corruption.
It is also working closely with the Department of Justice to speed up the prosecution of suspects.
The department said that out of about 6.4 million people in the province, 1.3 million receive social grants, while about 200 000 have registered for child support grants.
The province has also established partnerships with private sector companies - including All Pay, CPF, First National Bank and Standard Bank - to improve payouts to social grant beneficiaries.
Source: BuaNews
