Woman (69) sentenced to 10 years for Sassa pension payout fraud
The 69-year-old defrauded Sassa of more than R123 000 over a period of 6 years.
A 69-year-old woman was sentenced by the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on March 4 to 10 years imprisonment for defrauding Sassa from 2017 until 2022.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame said Sarathamoney Devi Sigamoney (69) had defrauded the Sassa pension payout system of more than R123 000.
She had received grant money from Sassa amounting to about R123 000, from July 2017 to July 2022.
Mamothame said Sigamoney’s conviction was a result of an incident on April 13, 2017, wherein she applied for an old age grant with Sassa, attaching a supporting affidavit stating that she had never worked for a period of 20 years.
However, according to the NPA, she was listed as the director of a Durban-based company which allegedly had conducted business with the state, from as early as 2012, preceding her application to Sassa.
Mamothame said the company is estimated to have cashed in about R88-million from the SAPS contracts, of which the last payment was in 2022.
He said subsequent charges were being registered against her, as she continued to receive the grant for a further 16 months.
Sigamoney has since applied for leave to appeal and the court postponed the matter to March 12 for arguments.
“The state intends to oppose the application.”
In his sentencing remarks, Magistrate Pieter Nel highlighted the need to convey a strong message to potential perpetrators on the seriousness of such offences.
The court also had previously granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit a confiscation order against Sigamoney, stipulating that an amount of R138 593 with interest calculated at 11.25% per annum, calculated from the date of the order, be paid back to Sassa.
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