SASSA informed all Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant recipients that they are suspending their grant payments to verify and confirm their identity and prevent fraudulent applications. File Picture: David Ritchie
Image: David Ritchie
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development in Parliament, Bridget Masango, has urged the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to restore the suspended Electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) system to allow eligible beneficiaries to verify and receive their grants.
This comes after SASSA informed all Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant recipients that they are suspending their grant payments to verify and confirm their identity and prevent fraudulent applications.
"We appreciate the effort to combat fraud, but we strongly express concern about the suspended eKYC verification system that leaves thousands of eligible people unable to prove their eligibility,” Masango said.
In October 2024, SASSA said it uses biometrics technology to verify applicants after seeing a significant spike in the number of people applying for the SRD.
SRD grant beneficiaries are now required to re-apply and verify their identity using the eKYC system.
About 10 million jobless people rely on the SRD grant, which was introduced as the R350 support mechanism during the coronavirus pandemic.
The SRD grant is designed to support those in need who are unable to provide for their families' necessities.
SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the suspension will allow the security agency to ensure that they pay money to the correct recipients and avoid fraudulent activities.
He said the agency encourages applicants to make sure that their identity numbers are not used for fraudulent activities.
He said beneficiaries who suspect fraudulent activity involving their grants, are encouraged to report it immediately via Sassa's toll-free hotline or WhatsApp service.
“Beneficiaries are encouraged to note that when they check their status and find out that it states “referred” it means that the Sassa system is suspecting fraudulent activity, therefore, the beneficiary must contact Sassa immediately to resolve the case."
Meanwhile, SASSA has suspended over 100,000 SRD grant payments in the Eastern Cape as part of its ongoing investigation into the weaknesses in the SRD grant payment system.
“The Minister must intervene and ensure that the verification system is brought back online to enable the deserving beneficiaries to receive their grants,” Masango said.
She added that deserving beneficiaries should not be negatively affected by the processes SASSA is undertaking as part of the investigation.
In October, IOL reported that of the 17.2 million applications received, the highest number came from KwaZulu-Natal with 4.4 million, followed by Gauteng with 3.2 million, and Limpopo with 2.3 million.
At the time, Letsatsi said the spike in numbers from some provinces was suspicious; however, they did not want to make any assumptions about why the numbers had jumped. He emphasised that measures would be implemented to identify inconsistencies.
He further warned that serious consequences await those attempting to defraud the system, as SASSA works closely with law enforcement.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
IOL
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