27 January 2025
On 21 January 2025, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) announced the suspension of SRD grant payments to all beneficiaries suspected of fraudulent activity. According to the statement released by SASSA, it was the responsibility of beneficiaries to check their status online to determine whether they were affected. However, in the same statement, SASSA revealed that their online verification service had been suspended until further notice. As a result, beneficiaries were unable to ascertain whether they had been affected.
Instead, affected beneficiaries only discovered they had been flagged for suspected fraud when their grant payments were not made last week. This lack of prior notification renders SASSA’s decision procedurally defective and deprives affected individuals of the opportunity to anticipate the loss of a grant they ordinarily rely on.
In the Eastern Cape alone, approximately 100,550 beneficiaries were deprived of this critical financial lifeline. Comments from SASSA officials suggest that affected beneficiaries will need to verify their identities using biometric information at their nearest SASSA office or reapply for the SRD grant. However, SASSA has also suspended its internal Electronic Know Your Client (EKYC) system, which is responsible for verifying beneficiaries’ identities. This ill-timed decision will make it significantly more difficult for affected beneficiaries to verify their identities and ensure their grants are reinstated promptly.
While it is essential to prevent fraudulent grant payments, SASSA’s approach demonstrates a blatant disregard for the rights of grant beneficiaries. Any effort to address fraudulent payments must comply with the principles of procedural fairness and uphold the rights of all affected individuals.
We urge all affected beneficiaries to visit their nearest SASSA office or contact our offices for further assistance.
