Tensions grow between SASSA and the National Treasury
At the centre of tensions between SASSA and the National Treasury are conditions attached to the R265-billion budget allocation. On one hand, you have the High Court ruling back in January 2025 that said SASSA was being 'deliberately exclusionary.' And now you have the National Treasury wanting to see have SASSA is reviewing, suspending and cancelling grants to keep the budget in check … It's a little farfetched to expect SASSA SRD R370 applicants to have a smartphone and data for monthly verifications. Image: File
Unfortunately, this puts the South African Social Security Agency in a highly compromised position. If it doesn't actively exclude grant recipients, the National Treasury will say conditions to its budget allocation are not being met. However, after the High Court ruling earlier this year, civil society is watching closely to see how the agency 'increases grant inclusivity.'
As such, SASSA CEO Themba Matlou told the committee this week that its new review process for social grants will comply with the National Treasury's requirements. The first necessity is a quarterly report, due at the end of July, that proves the number of grants reviewed, suspended, cancelled and money saved by the agency. Meanwhile, it's the elderly who suffer and must travel to SASSA offices to have their identity verified. Image: File
Key to the agreement between SASSA and the National Treasury is the agency must improve its income, biometric and governmental verification systems. Meanwhile, it's overtly clear that these new digital processes are impacting poor beneficiaries who don't have access to smartphones and data.
Nevertheless, when the National Treasury allocated R265 billion budget to SASSA, it had the following provisos. 'SASSA must introduce bank income checks on grants. It must conduct large-scale database checks at least twice a year. It must finalise agreements with SARS and NSFAS to verify beneficiaries' income. And it must intensify biometric checks on suspicious applications,' reports GroundUp . SASSA's first report is due to the National Treasury next month. Image: File
As a result, these reviews have already started being implemented. Specifically, Child Support, Old-Age, Disability and Care Dependency grants were flagged for undisclosed income and alternative forms of identification. Instead of the usual three-month review period, affected individuals had their grants withheld until they completed in-person verification at a SASSA office.
However, Matlou and SASSA has come under fire over these latest verification policies. And he told Parliament he is aware of the frustration. 'Through beneficiary education, we emphasise that citizens have a responsibility to assist the government to save money. And beneficiaries need to notify SASSA when their financial circumstances have changed,' explained Matlou.
Furthermore, the agency says it will start rolling out service kiosks at offices to help clients with remote biometric identity verification. 'The goal is to make biometrics compulsory for all SASSA applicants, whether you are trying to access the social assistance programme with or without identification,' concluded Matlou.
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