State to oppose bail for five Sassa employees accused of fraud and theft

Five South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) employees arrested on Friday appeared in the Lenasia magistrate's court on Monday.

They face more than 1,300 counts of cybercrime, fraud and theft linked to an alleged Sassa card fraud syndicate that operated between August 2024 and March 2025.

Bail applications for Siphesihle Dlamini, 30, Phiwe Mkhuzangwe, 37, Paul Bowes, 49, Keanogetswe Ledwaba, 49, and Phumelele Myeza, 37, were postponed until Tuesday. The state has indicated it will oppose bail.

The arrests of the five follow an earlier case involving four other accused, Shumani Khwerana, Nkhensani Maluleke, Tshilidzi Ramaphosa and Abenezer Tilahyn, who were arrested on February 6.

“Police were called to a Soweto store, where Khwerana and Maluleke were allegedly caught withdrawing large sums of money using Sassa cards. Further investigations led to the arrest of the additional suspects,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.

She said four of the accused were apprehended at Sassa's Johannesburg offices while the fifth voluntarily surrendered to the police.

TimesLIVE