SASSA EXPLAINS CURRENT SOCIAL GRANTS REVIEW PROCESS

• The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has given a comprehensive overview of its current social grants review process.
•⁠ ⁠The reviews are essential in ensuring that every person receiving a social grant remains eligible based on their current circumstances.
•⁠ ⁠The process currently underway is to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system, preventing any fraud or misuse of public funds

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has clarified its social grants review process, providing context and reassurance to all beneficiaries.

In a media statement on 14 July 2025, SASSA outlined that it operates in terms of the country’s Constitution and the SASSA Act, with a mandate to administer, manage, and pay social grants to eligible beneficiaries.

The agency has noted with concern the recent public outcry and confusion regarding social grant payments. “We appreciate the importance of social grants to millions of South Africans and wish to take this opportunity to clarify the situation,” SASSA stated.

Twenty-seven million people benefit from social grants in South Africa.

Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act requires beneficiaries to notify SASSA of any material change in their circumstances, including financial, marital, as soon as reasonably possible. This obligation is also stated in the approval letter each beneficiary receives.

As a result of this legislation, in April 2025, SASSA announced plans for reviews during the 2025/26 financial year. These are targeted reviews to ascertain the eligibility of beneficiaries whose circumstances may have changed, according to information provided to SASSA. As a result of such changes, the beneficiaries may no longer qualify for a social grant.

It is also important to clarify that SASSA conducts regular reviews as required by Regulation 30 of the Social Assistance Act. These reviews are essential in ensuring that every person receiving a social grant remains eligible based on their current circumstances.

“This is a legal obligation designed to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance programme and to ensure that public funds are directed to those who need them most. Beneficiaries are notified when their grants are due for review, and we encourage full cooperation to avoid any disruptions,” SASSA said.

The agency categorically stated that no social grant payments have been suspended or halted. All approved grants remain valid, and payments continue to be processed. Any beneficiary with an active and valid grant remains entitled to receive their payment.

“This year, we have only introduced and implemented a fourth payment date to our payment schedule, where beneficiaries targeted for a review are paid on the fourth day.”

The agency pointed out that it would ensure that these beneficiaries receive their payment after the necessary review, without prejudicing the general payment cycle for others.

“We believe this strategy is better than previous rounds where beneficiaries who do not receive their notifications only find out that they’ve been placed on review when they get suspended; at which time it’s too late to have their payment for the month reinstated.”

Beneficiaries who have not received a notification and are getting their payments on the normal pay dates (between the second to the fifth of each month) do not have to contact the agency.

SASSA is aware of the complaints that beneficiaries are struggling with access to SASSA offices.

SASSA assured the beneficiaries that “we are constantly monitoring the numbers and will adjust our plans accordingly to ensure that it remains within our capacity”.

However, not many beneficiaries had come forward during June, but these numbers have risen significantly during July.

Importance of reviews

The review of social grants helps identify beneficiaries who may no longer qualify due to changes in their financial, medical, or legal circumstances and serves as a confirmation of life or existence, ensuring that grants are not paid out to deceased individuals or those who have relocated without updating their records.

More importantly, reviews allow SASSA to detect and prevent cases where individuals continue receiving grants despite being listed on payroll systems of other entities, both public and private.

“This is being done to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive support, preventing fraud and misuse of public funds,” the agency said.

SASSA is undertaking the social grants review process to ensure best practice in the use of the government fiscus, ensuring that grants are paid to eligible beneficiaries and all the fraudulent elements are rooted out.

The review process also assists SASSA to have updated personal information, as some beneficiaries have changed their contact numbers and places of residence without updating SASSA on their latest information.

“This creates a challenge for us when we want to communicate with them, we do not find them because some of their information has changed.”

Working with registered credit bureaus

The agency has strengthened its partnership with institutions such as credit bureaus in the country, with data being sourced from these institutions. Data provides a reflection of employment status. In some cases, a client may tell SASSA they are unemployed or do not have an income, but then apply for a loan to procure goods or related services, revealing that they are employed to show that they can pay back the loan. This information is recorded with the credit bureaus.

Responsibility of a beneficiary

The Social Assistance Act and its regulations place an obligation on beneficiaries as a legal requirement to fully disclose all sources of income during their initial application, as well as other personal details.

Beneficiaries are also obliged to inform SASSA of any changes to their financial circumstances after their application has been approved.

A beneficiary may have qualified and been approved for a grant at the time of application, but their financial circumstances may have changed afterwards, and they must inform SASSA of these changes.

Consequences for non-compliance

Beneficiaries who fail to comply with this process risk having their grants suspended.

Continued non-compliance may lead to the permanent lapsing of their grants.

Beneficiaries are advised that SASSA is also empowered by the Act to recoup any money that would have been paid to the beneficiary incorrectly.

“This means that, should we find out that you have been receiving social grants that you were not eligible to receive, SASSA will institute a debt recovery process where you will have to pay back the money,” the agency said.

Communication and capacity at local offices

While SASSA communicated these changes through various media platforms and public announcements, it recognises that some beneficiaries may have missed this important communication.

“From previous years, we’ve noticed that many beneficiaries do not update their contact details with SASSA and consequently do not receive the notices for them to come in to conduct a review.”

The agency has also sent out bulk SMS messages and registered letters to the addresses SASSA has on record.

To date, SASSA has sent over 140 000 SMS notifications to beneficiaries selected for review. However, the non-responsiveness is an indication that some beneficiaries may have changed their contact details but failed to inform SASSA.

“We are working on strengthening our communication approach, including through more robust community-level engagement and increased visibility of information on official and public platforms,” SASSA noted.

The agency will also increase the operating hours, employ additional capacity to address long queues that have been recently experienced during this important review process

SASSA urges any beneficiary who has not received their payment or is uncertain about their payment status to contact SASSA through the toll-free number 0800 60 10 11 or via email available on the SASSA website.

The agency is also working hard to automate the review process by introducing self-service options using online platforms to make it easier for beneficiaries and reduce queues in local offices.

Fraudulent activities

SASSA enforces a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud and corruption, both from beneficiaries and within its own ranks.

In addition, the agency is finalising the implementation of biometric identification infrastructure to enhance security and integrity in grant administration processes.

National treasury conditions

In addition to conducting its review process in terms of the Social Assistance Act, SASSA is also adhering to the National Treasury’s budget allocation conditions.

In February 2025, the National Treasury issued SASSA with a preliminary allocation letter for the 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework period. The letter contained strict compliance framework conditions, which the agency had to put in place, as these conditions became binding and form part of the approved budgetary allocations for the 2025/26 financial year.

The conditions directed SASSA to find mechanisms to save costs through its review process: to ensure money is not paid to undeserving beneficiaries; to enhance fiscal accountability; improve operational efficiency; and ensure the integrity of the Social Assistance Programme.

The conditions cover critical areas such as income verification, biometric checks, inter-agency data cross-referencing, and quarterly reporting obligations. The conditions also reflect Treasury’s intent to strengthen oversight and promote transparency in the administration of social grants.

SASSA is fully committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement of the social grant system. “We take our responsibility seriously to serve the most vulnerable in our society and will work harder to ensure that no beneficiary is left confused or disadvantaged.”

SASSA remains committed to protecting the rights and dignity of each beneficiary by ensuring that no one who qualifies is unfairly penalised. Its efforts are directed at preserving the social assistance system for those who genuinely need it.

For more information, visit www.sassa.gov.za
or call the SASSA toll-free number: 0800 60 10 11.