SASSA beneficiaries who received double payments must repay funds
- The South Africa Social Security Agency has announced that grant recipients who received double payments will need to repay the funds
- This comes after a technical glitch paid over 400 000 citizens twice the allocated amount
- The error left some without their grant payments on Monday, creating havoc for the elderly
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SASSA has announced that grant recipients who were paid double the usual amount on Monday will be expected to repay the funds.
Briefly.co.za reported that SASSA had experienced a technical issue when paying out the elderly and disability grants, resulting in 435 000 Western Cape recipients receiving double payments while 450 000 recipients in KwaZulu-Natal received nothing.
News24 spoke to Minister Lindiwe Zulu, who confirmed grant recipients would be expected to return the funds.
"I was informed by Sassa CEO [Busisiwe Memela-Khambula] during a meeting on Sunday that there was a technical problem that was going to affect the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. I still need to get a proper report in writing that says exactly where and how the glitch happened. I won't be able to say who was responsible until I get a full briefing on the matter."
READ ALSO: SASSA left apologising after payment glitch delays grant funds
Zulu explained that the system would be able to return funds that remain in the recipient's accounts, while those who had already withdrawn the extra money will have it deducted off of future payments.
"If people have already accessed the money, it cannot be reversed, unless there are those who haven't yet withdrawn the money. The system can pick that up easily. But in terms of those who were paid double - we have to get that money back. It's government money and people must be honest about it. But I know some people won't pay it back. So we will have to deduct this from future payments."
The payment date had been delayed to the 4th in a bid to avoid congestion at pay points amid a continued coronavirus pandemic.
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Source: Briefly News
