SASSA CEO Themba Matlou addressed beneficiaries on 11 August 2026, asking them not to panic over ongoing social grant reviews and reminding them that being selected for a review does not automatically mean losing a grant.
The message[1] came as the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is midway through a review cycle targeting more than 350,000 beneficiaries in the 2026/27 financial year.[2]
What a review actually does
A grant review is a compliance check. SASSA uses it to verify whether a beneficiary still meets the qualifying criteria for their specific grant.
“A review is an important process through which SASSA verifies whether a beneficiary continues to meet the requirements for receiving social assistance,” Matlou said in a published executive message to beneficiaries.
The process was introduced at the start of the 2025/26 financial year and uses biometric enrolment, life certification and data matching with institutions including the South African Revenue Service and credit bureaus. SASSA cross-checks financial records for changes in income, marital status and newly acquired assets.
The fourth payment day
If your grant did not arrive on 4, 5 or 6 August, there is a specific reason for that. SASSA shifted beneficiaries selected for review onto what it calls a fourth payment day. For August, that date was Friday, 7 August 2026.
The agency’s national spokesperson, Dr Paseka Letsatsi, confirmed that older persons’ grants were paid on Tuesday, 4 August, disability grants on Wednesday, 5 August, and child support grants on Thursday, 6 August.
Letsatsi noted that confusion about the fourth day has been a recurring problem.
“The Agency has noted that some beneficiaries are still unfamiliar with the fourth payment day and often become concerned when their grant money is not paid during the normal three-day payment cycle, even though they would have received a notification”.
SASSA notifies beneficiaries by SMS before moving their payment. If you did not receive an SMS, check that your contact details on the SASSA system are current.
What the numbers show
SASSA currently administers grants to approximately 19 million permanent beneficiaries each month, distributing roughly R20 billion]. With that scale, the agency says every rand has to be tracked.
The review programme has saved government about R44 million a month, which amounts to roughly R500 million a year. For the 2026/27 financial year, Social Development Minister Dina Pule said the broader review target of more than 350,000 grants could save approximately R1.5 billion.
During 2025/26, SASSA flagged more than 420,000 beneficiaries for review. More than 240,000 completed the process. Around 160,000 did not, and 70,000 grants were suspended for non-compliance.
What you need to do
If your grant was paid on the fourth day, you are required to visit your nearest SASSA office during August to complete the review. Failure to do so can result in your grant being suspended or lapsing under the Social Assistance Act.
When you go in, bring a valid South African ID, proof of income, three months of bank statements, proof of residence and any grant-specific documents such as a child’s birth certificate.
You are also required to inform SASSA of any changes to your cellphone number, address, income or marital status, as well as any travel outside South Africa. These factors directly affect eligibility.
Sources:
[1] Facebook, SASSA News. CEO Mr Themba Matlou message shared social media channels, 11 Aug. 2026.
[2] South African Government. “SASSA: Grants under review to be paid on the fourth payment day, not the normal three-day cycle.” South African Government News Agency, Aug. 2026.
