Sassa social grants delayed for beneficiaries not declaring full income

Sassa delays 210 000 social grants for non-disclosure; beneficiaries urged to review income or risk suspension

May 29, 2025

Mbuso Kunene 1 minute read

Sassa acknowledges queue management challenges PHOTO: Ray Peyters

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has identified some 210 000 social grant beneficiaries who appear to be receiving income that was not truthfully disclosed to the agency.

Sassa KZN senior manager: communication and marketing, Sandy Godlwana, said in accordance with the Social Assistance Act and its regulations, beneficiaries are legally required to fully disclose all sources of income during their initial application.

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Godlwana added that beneficiaries are also obligated to inform the agency of any changes to their financial circumstances after their application has been approved.

“Failure to comply with these requirements constitutes a violation of the Act and may result in corrective action,” said Godlwana.

“As part of this initiative, social grant payments for the affected beneficiaries will be delayed in the June payment cycle.

“These individuals are required to present themselves at their nearest Sassa offices for a grant review within 30 days from this notice date, in line with Regulation 30 of the Social Assistance Act.

“Beneficiaries who fail to comply with this process risk having their grants suspended. Continued non-compliance may lead to the permanent lapsing of their grants,” added Godlwana.

According to Godlwana, this initiative is aimed at ensuring beneficiaries confirm any changes to their financial circumstances and update their personal details.

It also seeks to address potential inclusion errors in the current social security system, where a beneficiary may have qualified for a grant at the time of application, but improved material conditions over time may render them ineligible.

“Sassa encourages all beneficiaries to disclose any alternative sources of income and to report any additional bank accounts not previously declared.

“Furthermore, beneficiaries still using the green barcoded ID book are urged to replace it with the smart ID card due to the increased risk of fraud associated with the older ID format,” said Godlwana.

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