Slight delay in May payments for some, says SASSA

Certain social grant recipients will experience delays in May’s payment cycle as part of an effort to verify critical beneficiary information. So says the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

PICTURE: Postbank

The delay targets specific individuals who need to visit SASSA offices to update their personal details and confirm any changes to their financial circumstances — a move aimed at correcting inclusion errors in the current social support system.

Those affected are mainly beneficiaries who are registered using alternative forms of identification rather than the standard 13-digit South African ID number.

Upon consultation with the Department of Home Affairs, the agency discovered that some of these beneficiaries do have valid 13-digit IDs in the national database, but these are not reflected in SASSA’s system.

The announcement comes as eleven SASSA officials are before the Lenasia Magistrates Court facing charges of cybercrime, fraud, and theft in connection with an alleged scam involving the creation of fake SASSA profiles used to siphon off more than R4 million from the system.

“Once these clients have presented themselves at various SASSA offices, a review will be done and then their 13-digit ID numbers will be captured in the system. Beneficiaries who fail to come forward during this process may have their social grants suspended, and if they continue not to respond, more drastic actions such as lapsing of their grant will be applied,” said SASSA’s national spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi.

SASSA is also targeting individuals flagged through the bulk means test process — specifically those whose undeclared income streams into other bank accounts not disclosed to SASSA.

“In the 2025/2026 financial year, we will intensify our measures to ensure eligibility by regularly identifying clients on a monthly basis so that they come to our offices to verify their personal details,” Letsatsi added.

He also noted that SASSA will be scrutinizing its internal processes to root out any staff collusion with external parties attempting to exploit the system.

“This is part of concerted efforts and proactive measures implemented by SASSA aimed at enhancing security, improving the integrity of our systems, and preventing potentially fraudulent activities related to identity misrepresentation,” said Letsatsi.

 

Done by: Mitchum George