South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Chief Executive Officer, Themba Matlou, addressed the media on Monday morning regarding the ongoing review of social grant fraud.
The focus of the review, according to SASSA, is on beneficiaries who are believed to have “additional sources of income that was not disclosed to the agency.”
Social grant crackdown
“In April 2025, SASSA announced an ongoing scheduled payment delays to targeted social grants beneficiaries who need to visit local offices to confirm changes in their financial circumstances and update their personal details to address potential inclusion errors in the current social security system.
“This was done after the agency had collaborated with registered Credit Bureaus and approximately 210 000 social grant beneficiaries were flagged to be receiving income that was not truthfully disclosed,” the agency said in a statement.
SASSA criticised recent “public commentary and misrepresentation from various interest groups and the public at large, casting aspersions on SASSA’s efforts to ascertain eligibility” of some beneficiaries and the agency’s ongoing efforts “to curb fraud in the grants system”.
SASSA grant disclosure
“In accordance with the Social Assistance legislative framework, beneficiaries are legally required to fully disclose all sources of income during their initial application. They are also obliged to inform SASSA of any changes to their financial circumstances after their application has been approved.
“SASSA has undertaken a review of its database and grant administration processes to root out fraud and ensure that assistance reaches those who are eligible.
“These reviews are specifically focused on individuals who appear to be active in the labour market and whose incomes are close to or exceed the means test threshold; particularly where such income was not disclosed at the time of application or where changes in circumstances were not reported thereafter,” SASSA said.
The briefing is scheduled for 10am on Monday and will be broadcast live via the Government ZA social media channels.
