With so much uncertainty and miscommunication surrounding the pension cards debacle, easy pay Everywhere has also been drawn into the Saga. Social grant beneficiaries have been going in circles trying to determine if this new “green card” is what they should be getting.

To help shed light in the matter, Minority Front Councillor Jonathan Annipen met with representatives of Easy Pay Everywhere in an information sharing session to get answers to the questions raised by beneficiaries. Annipen said that the allegations that Easy Pay was a scheme was untrue. “I was of the opinion that easy pay was a company that provided loans and was not a registered Financial Services Provider. However, when I met with their reps I was surprised to see that they have remarkable products and services and are infact a subsidiary of Net1 which is the holding company of Cash Paymaster Services, the same Company that holds the tender for issuing grant payouts to social grant beneficiaries. I was also alarmed to learn that they offer free funeral policies as an incentive for opening an account with them and unlike other published banks don’t charge a service fee for opening the account.

Annipen explained that he intends on holding a series of public meetings in various communities and engaging with civil society to create awareness so that people make informed choices.

We cannot endorse any particular company and I don’t intend on doing that but I do believe that people need to be made aware of the companies that they subscribe to and know what the benefits and consequences are. These public forums will allow beneficiaries to ask the questions that the need answered.

Provincial Manager for Easy Pay Everywhere Mr. Ravi Ramsunder said “I am glad that we had the opportunity to engage with Councillor Annipen. He raised some legitimate concerns and seems to be in touch with the community and their needs. We look forward to working towards allaying any fears that the public may have about our company and product and will ensure that we do everything possible to make sure that people are comfortable and aware before opening an account with us.”