POLOKWANE – The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) will introduce mandatory beneficiary biometric enrollment at all its offices from September 1 in an effort to prevent fraud.

The agency announced on Monday that the new system is a precursor to detecting and stopping fraudulent activities within its grant system.

This means beneficiaries will have to register their fingerprints and face photo at their nearest SASSA office to make sure that grants are paid to the right people

The agency says this move comes after successfully resolving issues with organised labour.

Sassa says some people have been using fake IDs or applying for more than one grant and that with the new system, each person will have their own unique fingerprint or face scan linked to their grant.

Sassa CEO Themba Matlou says the biometric enrollment will help improve the system.

“Our plans were to commence at the beginning of the 2025/2026 financial year, however, we hit a snag, but we have ironed out the issues that delayed our plans and it is all systems go for the implementation.”

Matlou said staff have already been trained and the machines are ready to use. “We are now ready to roll this out. It will make the system more secure and protect beneficiaries,” he says.

The biometric enrollment is a strategic move to ensure every grant recipient is verifiable and to make the system resilient against manipulation, especially from cases involving forged green Identity Documents.

The initiative is expected to ensure:

• A significant reduction in fraudulent applications and duplicate payments.
• Reliable verification of beneficiary authenticity and proof of life.
• A reduction in inclusion errors.
• Streamlined documentation processes.
• Enhanced audit outcomes and stronger record integrity.

SASSA has vowed to act against any officials suspected of assisting in fraud.

For grant enquiries, beneficiaries can visit www.sassa.gov.za or call the toll-free number 0800 60 1011.