Babalwa Booi

Oversaw the secure and efficient disbursement of social grants to beneficiaries under the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) program. Managed on-site operations at mobile and fixed pay points, supervised operational teams, and ensured compliance with biometric verification procedures, cash handling protocols, and customer service standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Supervised the daily operations of mobile cash pay points across rural and urban locations, ensuring timely and accurate grant disbursement.
• Conducted biometric verification (fingerprint/voice) to authenticate recipients in line with SASSA compliance standards.
• Managed a team of junior operators and security personnel, providing training, support, and performance oversight.
• Ensured cash-in-transit procedures were adhered to in collaboration with security contractors to mitigate risk.
• Resolved on-site beneficiary queries and complaints, maintaining high standards of service and professionalism.
• Performed end-of-day reconciliations and reporting, ensuring alignment with financial and audit requirements.
• Collaborated with technical support teams to address biometric equipment faults and connectivity issues in real-time.
• Monitored compliance with internal policies, contractual obligations, and government regulations related to social grant payments.

Key Achievements:

• Maintained a 98% error-free rate in monthly disbursements across assigned regions.
• Contributed to improved turnaround time at high-volume pay points by optimizing queue management and staff deployment.
• Trained and mentored 10+ new operators, enhancing operational continuity and compliance across sites.

Key Achievements:

Served as a frontline operations officer responsible for overseeing and facilitating the delivery of social grant payments to beneficiaries in accordance with service-level agreements with the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). Ensured smooth, secure, and compliant disbursement of grants across designated service points, including fixed and mobile units.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinated daily operations at social grant pay points, ensuring timely and accurate disbursements in compliance with SASSA contractual obligations.
• Provided frontline customer support to beneficiaries, resolving payment issues and ensuring smooth access to grant funds via biometric verification systems.
• Monitored service delivery performance, conducted on-site issue resolution, and escalated system faults and security risks to regional supervisors.
• Supported team logistics and supervised support staff during mobile payment operations, particularly in high-traffic rural areas.
• Performed transaction reconciliation and submitted compliance documentation for audits, contributing to operational transparency and service quality.
• Successfully managed service delivery at high-volume rural pay points with minimal error rates.
• Contributed to customer education drives to increase awareness of secure grant collection methods.
• Reduced beneficiary complaints by implementing a standardized issue-resolution workflow at pay sites.

Participated in a SETA-accredited learnership program as a Field Market Researcher, gaining practical experience in primary data collection and fieldwork operations. Conducted face-to-face surveys across a variety of projects and communities, supporting market research initiatives for both private and public sector clients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collected data through structured interviews and questionnaires, targeting diverse respondent groups as per project requirements.
• Administered surveys using both digital devices and paper tools in households, shopping centers, taxi ranks, schools, and public events.
• Recruited suitable participants based on strict demographic and sampling guidelines.
• Ensured ethical research practices, including informed consent, confidentiality, and respectful engagement with respondents.
• Provided daily fieldwork updates to supervisors, including challenges encountered and completion status.
• Participated in training sessions on data quality, communication, and research ethics as part of the learnership curriculum.

Key Achievements:

• Successfully completed fieldwork for over 8 projects, contributing to high-quality data used in national research reports.
• Frequently recognized by supervisors for reliability, professionalism, and ability to meet or exceed daily targets.
• Demonstrated adaptability by working in varied environments—from rural villages to urban townships—under tight deadlines.