Sassa investigating clients thought to have other sources of income

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is continuing to review the grants of beneficiaries who may be receiving other sources of income that have not been disclosed to the agency.

These individuals appear to be active in the job market and have an income that exceeds the means threshold.

Beneficiaries are urged to visit the local Sassa office to check their status.

“Beneficiaries who fail to comply with this process risk having their grants suspended. Continued noncompliance may lead to the permanent lapsing of their grants,” Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said. “Failure to comply constitutes a violation of the social assistance legislation and may result in corrective action.”

Letsatsi said the agency is reviewing its database to root out fraud and ensure they help those in need.

No grant has been suspended yet, Letsatsi said.

“Sassa has 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 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 they would have little recourse should their grant be suspended due to failure to respond to a notification issued by Sassa.”

An additional payment date has been issued for those placed on review as a way to communicate the need for them to contact Sassa. Failure to contact the agency after two months would lead to the grant being 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 will be opened.”

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