Under review: Sassa fires off grant suspension warning

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has issued a stern warning that beneficiaries flagged for review will have their grants suspended if they fail to present themselves within three months of being notified.

Sassa CEO, Themba Matlou, was speaking at a media briefing on Monday.

He emphasised that while no grants have been suspended yet, the agency will not hesitate to lapse grants for beneficiaries who ignore review notices.

Sassa three-month notice period before suspension

Matlou explained that Sassa is legally required to provide beneficiaries with three months’ notice before suspending their grants.

However, those who fail to respond to review notices face the prospect of having their grants lapse permanently.

“We’ll have to lapse the grant because it could be that some of them are either potential fraudulent cases, some of them don’t deserve to get it,” Matlou said.

"The worst that can happen to a beneficiary who doesn’t come for verification is that their social grant might be suspended. We will however keep sending out reminders to those who have not come forth.” – SASSA CEO Mr Themba Matlou pic.twitter.com/wO0ECTkswL

— SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) July 14, 2025

He emphasised that the review process is essential for maintaining the integrity of the social assistance system, particularly as the agency works with other institutions to identify beneficiaries who may no longer qualify for grants.

The CEO noted that Sassa must provide quarterly reports to the National Treasury on review progress, which has significantly elevated the agency’s workload.

Consequences of non-compliance and debt recovery

The agency is also empowered to recover money that may have been paid incorrectly to beneficiaries, particularly those who have been working while receiving grants.

Beneficiaries who surpass income thresholds are liable to pay back money from the date they started working or exceeded eligibility criteria.

This debt recovery process can be instituted against individuals found to have been receiving social grants they were not entitled to receive.

Van Vrede distinguished between the current payment delay system and actual suspension.

“A suspension would mean your grant for that month would not be paid. And your grant will continue not to be paid until such time that you conduct a review and you are convinced that you’re so qualified,” he explained.

ALSO READ: Sassa grant recipients forced to repay thousands after income threshold breaches

Fourth payment date introduced

Sassa has introduced a fourth payment date in its payment schedule specifically for beneficiaries flagged for review.

Brenton Van Vrede, the agency’s grant operations manager, explained that this represents a strategic shift from previous practices where beneficiaries would only discover they were under review when their grants were suspended.

“No one’s being suspended, everyone’s being paid. It’s an additional form of communication with people who have something wrong with their grant, come into a Sassa office and clarify,” said Van Vrede.

The new system means that beneficiaries who previously received payments between the 2nd and 5th of each month will now receive their payments on the 4th day if they are subject to review.

Van Vrede clarified that this serves as a signal to beneficiaries that they need to visit Sassa offices to address issues with their grants.

ALSO READ: No social grants have been suspended, says Sassa

Sassa review process targets 210,000 beneficiaries

According to Matlou, approximately 210,000 beneficiaries out of the 19 million grant recipients have been identified for review based on data indicating they may have additional income or employment that could affect their eligibility.

Matlou noted that this represents a small fraction of Sassa’s total beneficiary base, which continues to receive monthly payments without disruption.

“We pay 19 million beneficiaries, and we pay them every month without any disturbance. We just had to look at the segment that we need to call them for review,” Matlou explained, without elaborating on the number of grant recipients under scrutiny.

The review process was initiated following legislative requirements under Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act.

The Act mandates that beneficiaries notify Sassa of any material changes in their circumstances, including financial or marital status changes.

Sassa review process

Van Vrede provided detailed explanations of how Sassa assesses income during the review process, particularly addressing questions about maintenance payments.

He explained that beneficiaries undergo a thorough process where they sit with administrators to review three months of bank statements.

He noted that while maintenance is considered income under social assistance regulations, the context and purpose of such payments are carefully evaluated.

For example, if a grandmother receives maintenance from her children to support a grandchild, this would be considered in a child support grant application but not necessarily in an older person’s grant application.

Van Vrede emphasised that the qualifying criteria for older persons’ grants remain high at over R7 000 per month.

This means that receiving R2 000 to R3 000 in support from children would be unlikely to disqualify someone from receiving grants.

ALSO READ: Sassa delivers grants and IDs to Harding

Credit bureau partnership strengthens verification

According to the CEO, Sassa has strengthened its partnership with registered credit bureaus to improve income verification processes.

This collaboration allows the agency to cross-reference information provided by applicants with data from financial institutions.

The partnership addresses situations where beneficiaries may declare themselves unemployed when applying for grants but later reveal their employment status when seeking loans or financial services.

“This information is recorded with the credit bureaus, which we now have access to,” said Matlou.

ALSO READ: Former Sassa employee jailed for corruption after bribe sting

Communication challenges and office capacity

The agency has sent over 140,000 SMS notifications to beneficiaries selected for review.

However, Matlou acknowledged that outdated contact information limits the effectiveness of these communications.

He said many beneficiaries may have not updated their contact details with Sassa, creating challenges in reaching those who need to undergo reviews.

The agency has adjusted its operational plans to accommodate the increased workload, much like it did when handling the card replacement project.

Matlou said it is also working to activate a self-application platform that would allow beneficiaries to review their information online without visiting physical offices.

ALSO READ: R59.6 billion set aside for Sassa and SRD grants

National treasury compliance requirements

The review process is being conducted within the framework of the National Treasury’s budget allocation conditions issued in February 2025.

These conditions direct Sassa to implement cost-saving mechanisms through review processes to ensure that payments are not made to undeserving beneficiaries.

“They cover critical areas such as income verification, biometric checks, inter-agency data cross-referencing, and quarterly reporting obligations,” Matlou explained.

He stated that these measures were designed to enhance fiscal accountability, improve operational efficiency, and ensure the integrity of the Social Assistance Programme.

Future improvements and fraud prevention

Matlou said Sassa is implementing several improvements to the system, including the introduction of biometric identification to enhance security and integrity in grant administration.

“Sassa enforces a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud and corruption, both from beneficiaries and within its own ranks,” Matlou emphasised.

He stated that the review process is designed to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system while ensuring that eligible beneficiaries continue to receive support.

Beneficiaries who have not received their payments or are uncertain about their payment status are encouraged to contact Sassa through official channels.

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