. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is confident that the backlog of assessments for disability grants in the Western Cape will be cleared by the deadline of 31 March, general manager Sibusiso Nhlangothi told the Western Cape legislature this week. He said virtual medical assessments were being used to speed up the process. Temporary disability and care dependency grants were due to lapse in February last year but due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the grants were extended to 31 December by social development Minister Lindiwe Zulu. Sassa has said it cannot afford to extend all grants further. Beneficiaries have been urged to re-apply at Sassa offices with a detailed doctor’s report.