Gauteng Police Crack Down on Corruption at SASSA, Four Arrested for Alleged R260 Million Fraud
- The South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested four South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in Gauteng on 14 March
- The four SASSA officials were nabbed a month after three others were arrested in Soweto on 4 February for fraud and theft
- Two pensioners are also in hot water for receiving SASSA payments despite getting multi-million rand tenders from the police
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues
GAUTENG - The South African Police Service (SAPS) is committed to cracking down on corruption within the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
Police officers arrested four SASSA grant administrators for fraud in the province on Friday, 14 March 2025. The arrests form part of a larger operation investigating corruption within the agency.
Suspects found in possession of fraudulent cards
According to Police Provincial Spokesperson, Lt Col Mavela Masondo, three of the employees were nabbed at the offices in Johannesburg while the fourth was arrested at her place of residence in Soweto.
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The suspects, three females and one male are expected to appear at the Lenasia Magistrate's Court on Monday, 17 March, Masondo confirmed to Briefly News. They all face charges of fraud.
The suspects were with more than one hundred and fifty fraudulent SASSA cards and an unlicensed firearm. You can watch videos of the arrest below.
Four others were arrested in February
The recent arrests come over a month after four others were arrested in Soweto on 4 February.
The suspects were allegedly found withdrawing money at a chain store, using different SASSA and bank cards. All eight suspects are believed to be part of a bigger syndicate allegedly linked to the theft of more than R260 million from SASSA.
Masondo added that more arrests were imminent as investigations continued. Masondo also added that police were still searching for three others, including the alleged kingpin.
“One of the main suspects we are still searching for is believed to be the mastermind behind the operation,” Masondo said.
Pensioners arrested for defrauding SASSA
SASSA has been in the spotlight of late when it comes to corruption, with two pensioners at the centre of fraud cases. Salamina Khoza (70) was nabbed after she received R152 000 in pension payouts while she was a director of three companies. Her companies received contracts from the SAPS, valued at over R60 million over eight years.
Devi Sigamoney (69) was sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment after she was found guilty of defrauding SASSA. She received R135,000 in pension payouts while she was the director of a company that received contracts valued at about R88 million from the SAPS.
Four Nelspruit women convicted for defrauding SASSA
Briefly News previously reported that Nelspruit Serious Commercial Crime Court threw the book at four women who defrauded SASSA.
The accused were sentenced to five years in jail, wholly suspended for five years after being found guilty of fraudulent activities.
The crimes were allegedly committed for 12 years from 2011 until 2023 when the group were caught.
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Source: Briefly News
