By Buziwe Nocuze
- Busisiwe Nxedlana lost her leg to cancer in 2024, and now skips meals to make handouts of food last longer.
- Her SASSA disability grant has lapsed this year, and she was told to come back and renew it in December.
Busisiwe Nxedlana sleeps to avoid finishing the food she has been given. What is left has to last, because she does not know when more is coming.
Nxedlana, a mother of two from Happy Valley in Cape Town, started feeling unwell in 2022.
“Something grew in my leg, and it was very painful. As it continued to grow, I went to see a doctor and was told I had sarcoma cancer. They couldn’t amputate my leg in 2022 because my blood pressure was too high. I underwent several operations, but the pain persisted,” she said.
In 2024, doctors finally amputated her leg.
She applied for a disability grant after the amputation and received it in May 2024. It stopped in June 2025. She reapplied and was receiving it again by July 2025.
That grant stopped again this year. She did not receive a payment in May 2026, and believes it lapsed the month before. She was given forms to reapply in June, assessed by a SASSA doctor in July, and then given a date to return, in December 2026.
“I did the renewal process like last time, but I was shocked and surprised when they told me to come back in December 2026,” she said.
She has been surviving on handouts ever since.
“Most of the time, I sleep so that I don’t finish the food I’ve received from others, I have to save it. And when I eat, I always keep in mind that it might be my last meal,” she said.
Before the amputation, she worked for a recycling company and could cover her bills. She cannot anymore.
Nxedlana has two children, a 9-year-old and a 5-year-old. Her eldest stays with her grandmother, and the other stays with his father’s family, both in the Eastern Cape.
“I used to help support the one staying with her grandmother, but now that the grant has stopped, I can’t do that anymore,” she said.
Her funeral policy has also lapsed.
“I don’t know how SASSA works, but it would make a huge difference if they could change their system by giving people with permanent disabilities, like me, a permanent disability grant. I will never have a leg again, this is my reality,” she said.
Western Cape SASSA spokesperson Shivan Wahab said Nxedlana was awarded a temporary disability grant for a fixed period of 12 months.
“The grant was not permanently awarded and lapsed in May 2026 when the approval period ended. Temporary disability grants do not renew automatically. If the applicant’s medical condition persists, a new application and medical assessment are required to determine whether the person still meets the qualifying criteria,” Wahab said.
He said that due to the current high volume of applications and pressure on available appointment slots, she was allocated an appointment in December 2026 through SASSA’s appointment system.
“SASSA acknowledges the hardship caused by the extended waiting period, particularly for applicants who depend on social assistance to meet their essential needs. Overtime has been scheduled for relevant staff to assist in addressing the backlog and reducing waiting times,” Wahab said.
He said SASSA regrets any inconvenience experienced by Nxedlana and other affected applicants.
“Disability grants are not awarded solely based on a particular diagnosis or physical impairment. Eligibility is determined through an individual medical assessment that considers the nature, severity, and expected duration of the person’s condition, as well as the extent to which it prevents the applicant from working and supporting themselves. Applicants must also meet other criteria,” Wahab said.
SASSA’s own guidance describes a temporary disability grant as running for 6 to 12 months. If someone has not fully recovered to be able to work by the time it expires, they must reapply. That standard, built around the possibility of recovery, is why a permanent physical loss like Nxedlana’s leg can still be treated as a temporary condition on paper.
Pictured above: Busisiwe Nxedlana, whose funeral cover lapsed after her SASSA disability grant was stopped. She has been given a December date for renewal.
Image source: Supplied
