SASSA Payments for KwaZulu-Natal Residents To Be Delayed Due to Noncompliance

• The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) announced that grant payments for residents in KwaZulu-Natal will be delayed
• Around 184,000 grant recipients in the province will receive their grant payouts later than usual in June
• This was after the agency uncovered that many failed to disclose additional sources of income during their initial applications

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

KWAZULU-NATAL — The South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) is expected to delay grant payments for 184,000 recipients for June.

Why SASSA is delaying KZN payments

According to SABC News, SASSA discovered that 210,000 recipients are in breach of the Social Assistance Act. The Act requires that applicants disclose all their sources of income. The agency collaborated with registered credit bureaus, which resulted in the discovery of the discrepancy.

The agency's KwaZulu-Natal head, Thambo Mzobe, said that eThekwini Central, Chatworth, and Phoenix recorded the highest number of cases in the province. Mzobe added that SASSA periodically samples people who have received grants and checks if they have been compliant with the legislation. If someone is found to be noncompliant, SASSA conducts a review to see if they are still eligible for a grant.

"This grant is meant for poor people who don't have an income," he said.

He stated that SASSA sampled one million recipients nationwide and found that 210,000 were noncompliant. Mzobe called on members of the public affected by the delay to allow SASSA to review their eligibility.

What you need to know about SASSA

• Over 40% of the country's population receives a social grant, according to a survey StatsSA conducted
• The South African Police Service in Gauteng arrested four SASSA officials who are believed to be part of a syndicate that allegedly stole R260 million from the agency
• SASSA revealed that R140 million has been paid to dead beneficiaries, and the agency blamed the Department of Home Affairs
• Postbank extended its deadline to the end of May 2025 for SASSA grant recipients to replace their gold cards with black Postbank cards
• The Department of Social Development rejected a petition presented by a Western Cape resident for the old age grant to increase to R5000

What did South Africans say?

South Africans commenting on SABC News' Facebook post shared their opinions.

Nandi Adams said:

"This is concerning. Many individuals and families rely heavily on these grants for their basic needs, and any disruption can cause significant hardship."

Owen Malongo said:

"Why in KwaZulu-Natal only? Why doesn't it affect other provinces?"

Caiphus Mashigo said:

"Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the North West must be investigated."

Shaeon Struckmeyer said:

"That's a disgrace, especially when it comes to disabled people, pensioners, and children. ANC must start getting its act together and keep us in the loop of what's happening in these departments."

Sunset Moya said:

"I've learned not to trust the government."

4 Mumalanga women sentenced to 5 years for SASSA fraud

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Nelspruit Serious Commercial Crimes Court sentenced four women to five years imprisonment for defrauding SASSA. The women appeared in court on 27 February 2025.

The court wholly suspended their sentence. This was after they were found guilty of colluding with health workers to forge fraudulent birth certificates for children to get both certificates.

Source: Briefly News