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SASSA CRACKS DOWN ON GRANT ELIGIBILITY: BENEFICIARIES WARNED TO DISCLOSE INCOME OR FACE SUSPENSION

July 2, 2025

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By Staff Writer.

SASSA has begun a clean-up of its database to ensure that only deserving beneficiaries are fully serviced in accordance to Social Assistance legislation.
A grace period of a month has now been granted to all those targeted for review of their Grant status to come forward to state their case.
All Grant beneficiaries are reminded that it is an obligation to inform SASSA of their change personal information namely contact details and change in alternative income.

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is reviewing social grants of targeted beneficiaries suspected of having undisclosed alternative sources of income. These beneficiaries are required to present themselves at a SASSA Local Office for an eligibility review as failure to comply may result in grant suspension or permanent lapsing.

SASSA’s review primarily aims at ensuring that assistance reaches those who are eligible. This step is being undertaken after the agency identified individuals who appear to be active in the labour market but whose incomes are close to or exceed the means threshold, but did not disclose this information during their application or report changes in circumstances.

According to the Social Assistance legislative framework, beneficiaries are legally required to fully disclose all sources of income during their initial application. They are also obligated to inform SASSA of any changes to their financial circumstances after their application has been approved. Such beneficiaries who fail to disclose alternative sources of income or report changes in circumstances may face corrective action.

“It is also important to note that no grant has been suspended yet,” said SASSA’s National Spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi. “SASSA has only amended the payment schedule for those beneficiaries who have been requested to come in for a review. From previous reviews, SASSA has become aware that most clients do not maintain their contact details with SASSA, and as a result clients often don’t get notifications that the Agency issues.

“While it is a legislative obligation for all beneficiaries to ensure that their contact details are always up to date and would have little recourse should their grant be suspended due to failure to respond to a notification issued by SASSA. SASSA has thus issued this additional payment date, specifically for person’s placed on review, as a means to further communicate with clients that there is a need for them to contact SASSA.

“Should no contact be made after two months, as per legislative requirements, only then will these beneficiaries’ grants be suspended. During the time of suspension, the beneficiary has one month to approach SASSA should they believe they still qualify. After this period, the grant will be permanently cancelled and depending on their circumstances, a fraud investigation opened,” Paseka said.

SASSA encourages beneficiaries to disclose any alternative sources of income and report additional bank accounts not previously declared. The agency also urges beneficiaries who are still using the green bar-coded ID book to replace it with a smart ID card due to the increased risk of fraud associated with the older ID format.