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Defrauded Sassa Grant Recipients to Be Refunded as Fraud Investigation Expands Nationwide
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has announced plans to refund beneficiaries who were defrauded by a scheme involving five of its employees. The agency is also expanding its investigation into widespread fraud affecting grant recipients across the country. This follows the discovery of 200 contaminated beneficiary files in the Johannesburg region, prompting Sassa to take decisive action.
Refunds for Defrauded Beneficiaries
Sassa has committed to reinstating legitimate beneficiaries who were victims of fraud through no fault of their own. “If you have been defrauded, and it’s not out of your own making, obviously the organisation would have to make sure that you get what is due to them,” said Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi in an interview with the SABC. This move aims to restore trust and ensure that vulnerable individuals receive the financial support they rely on.
Nationwide Fraud Investigation
The agency has begun implementing stricter measures in Johannesburg and plans to extend these efforts to all Sassa offices nationwide. The fraud management unit has started its strategy in Johannesburg, where 200 files were sampled for investigation. “We have started there [Joburg], but we are still going across the country in other provinces. But this was just the beginning,” Letsatsi explained.
Court Appearances and Fugitive Suspect
Ten suspects recently appeared in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court, south of Johannesburg, in connection with a multimillion-rand fraud case involving Sassa. Among the suspects are seven Sassa employees, three private individuals, and one Sassa-affiliated individual who remains at large. Authorities are actively pursuing the fugitive, and her arrest could impact the bail applications of the other suspects.
Letsatsi appealed directly to the fugitive: “We are appealing to her as a colleague that you are innocent until proven guilty by the court of law. It’s not necessary for you to run away from the police. You are just making your life unbearable. You are just making things very difficult for yourself.”
Calls for Broader Accountability
Social justice movement Not In My Name International has called for a broader investigation to include high-ranking officials who may have facilitated or orchestrated the fraud. The organisation emphasised that corruption often thrives within hierarchical structures and that deeper accountability is essential to dismantle corrupt networks.
“The poorest of the poor depend on this, and when you have officials siphoning and taking those funds, it really goes to the root of our society and just the nature of corruption in our country that many times people who are supposed to be custodians of the poor are actually taking from the poor and really milking them, and it needs to come to a stop,” said Themba Masango, a representative of the organisation.
Progress on Sassa Grant Gold Card Migration
Sassa’s acting CEO, Themba Matlou, recently reported that the agency distributes approximately 19 million social grants, with 15% of recipients receiving payments through Postbank. More than one million beneficiaries have already been transferred to a new system, with approximately 1.5 million still awaiting migration. Beneficiaries can choose their preferred payment method, and around 420,000 recipients have opted to use other commercial banks.
Thursday, 20 March, was the deadline for beneficiaries to migrate from the gold card to the Postbank black card. However, Postbank CEO Nikki Mbengashe clarified that beneficiaries who miss the deadline will not lose access to their grants. Those without the new Postbank black card can still collect their payments through the South African Post Office (Sapo), which has more than 500 branches nationwide. Beneficiaries will need to present identification documents to receive their grants over the counter.
Sassa’s commitment to refunding defrauded grant recipients and expanding its fraud investigation marks a significant step toward restoring trust and ensuring the integrity of the social grant system. As the agency implements stricter measures and pursues accountability, it aims to protect the most vulnerable members of society from exploitation. The ongoing efforts to address fraud and streamline grant distribution underscore the importance of transparency and justice in safeguarding South Africa’s social welfare programs.
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