Sassa urges caution as fake grant updates flood social media
Sassa national spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the mushrooming and rapid spread of fake news and disinformation, which has targeted the agency almost daily, is a concern.
THE South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has been plagued by fake news of late, forcing its social media managers to dismiss these across various platforms and to set the record straight at times.
These have included a fake Facebook account which shares inaccurate updates and misinformation about social grants.
In a media statement, the agency cautioned its beneficiaries to be careful of fake news on grants.
Sassa national spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the mushrooming and rapid spread of fake news and disinformation, which has targeted the agency almost daily, is a concern.
“Sassa deals with and has to correct disinformation created by some faceless people whose intentions are to mislead, cause panic and create false hope amongst Sassa beneficiaries and the public at large,” said Letsatsi.
These fake news reports include false announcements of the double payment of grants, which Letsatsi said are untrue.
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“In line with the Ministry of Finance’s Policy Statement in March, grant increases were announced and came into effect in April, and there will be another increase again in October. Any other increase not announced by credible and relevant authorities should be treated as lies,” said Letsatsi.
Letsatsi also clarified that on April 30, Sassa announced a verification process only for targeted grant beneficiaries, to encourage them to update their information at Sassa offices.
“The targeted beneficiaries were those who use alternative forms of identification other than the standard 13-digit South African identity number to receive their social grants. The other beneficiaries that are targeted include those identified through the bulk means test process, to check if they have some income that flows into other bank accounts that they did not disclose to Sassa.
“We appeal to our beneficiaries to only rely on credible sources of information on our official social media pages. Before anyone can share any information pertaining to social grants, they must first verify its authenticity to avoid disseminating false information that may cause anxiety and stress to our beneficiaries,” said Letsatsi.
These are the agency’s official social media pages:
- On Facebook it is SASSA NEWS
- On X (formerly Twitter) it is @OfficialSASSA
- On TikTok it is @officialsassanews
- On WhatsApp it is SASSA_Official
- On YouTube it is South African Social Security Agency
- On Instagram it is sassa10_za
“Social grants are the livelihood of more than 19 million Sassa beneficiaries. When people create and disseminate false information, it creates untold panic and stress to the millions of our vulnerable beneficiaries. Therefore, we appeal to all South Africans to stop these acts and our beneficiaries to be vigilant and cautious with the information they consume. If you are in doubt please call the toll free number 0800 60 10 11, email GrantEnquiries@sassa.gov.za or engage us on our social media pages,” said Letsatsi.
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