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The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has reassured beneficiaries of social grants that no payments have been suspended or halted due to the ongoing social grant review process.
Addressing the media on the current social grant review process on Monday, SASSA CEO, Themba Matlou, emphasised that all valid approved grants remain valid, and payments continue to be processed.
“Any beneficiary with an active and valid grant remains entitled to receive their payment,” Matlou said.
Matlou explained that SASSA derives its mandate from the Constitution of the republic of South Africa and SASSA Act, which is to administer, manage and payment of social grants to eligible beneficiaries.
He also highlighted that SASSA conducts regular reviews, as required by Regulation 30 of the Social Assistance Act, to ensure that every person receiving a social grant remains eligible based on their current circumstances.
“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,” Matlou said.
As a result of this legislation, Matlou said that in April 2025, SASSA announced its plans for reviews for the 2025/26 financial year. The targeted reviews aim to ascertain the eligibility of beneficiaries for whom the agency have obtained information that their circumstances have changed, and as a result, may no longer qualify for a social grant.
Matlou also noted that the agency has this year introduced and implemented a fourth payment date to its payment schedule, where beneficiaries targeted for a review are paid on the fourth day of the payment cycle, to ensure that they 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 have been placed on review when they get suspended; at which time it is too late to have their payment for the month re-instated.
“Those beneficiaries who have not received a notification and are getting their payments on the normal pay dates (between the 2nd and 5th of the month), do not have to contact the agency,” Matlou said.
On the complaints about access to SASSA offices, the CEO acknowledged the challenges during the month of June, where few beneficiaries came forward, except in some offices in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. However, he said the numbers have increased significantly in the month of July.
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He assured that the agency is constantly monitoring the numbers, and will adjust its operational plans accordingly, to ensure that “it remains within our capacity.”
Importance of the reviews
Matlou stressed that the review of social grants helps identify beneficiaries who may no longer qualify due to changes in their financial, medical, or legal circumstances.
The review also 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.
The reviews further allow SASSA to detect and prevent cases where individuals continue receiving grants despite being listed on payroll systems of other entities, including public or private.
“This is being done to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system [and] to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive support, preventing fraud and misuse of public funds.
“SASSA is undertaking the social grants review process for the better good of the government fiscus, thus ensuring that grants are paid to eligible beneficiaries and all the fraudulent elements are rooted out,” Matlou said.
SASSA Executive Manager Grants Administration, Brenton Van Vrede, noted that with the reviews, the agency is not targeting the most vulnerable but those that have multiple sources of income.
“If the mother of the child receives child maintenance from the father or an Older Person’s Grant beneficiary receives some sort of support from their child/children, it is unlikely to suspend the grant. If so, they will need to alert SASSA for assessment,” Van Vrede said.
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