Sassa encourages honesty from grant beneficiaries during income reviews
Matlou noted that means testing varies depending on the type of grant. For child support grants, it is the primary caregiver's income that is assessed, not the child's. In contrast, the SRD (Covid-19) grant involves more stringent, automated income checks via bank verification to determine eligibility.
'With SRD, we verify through the banks whether there's consistent money that comes through. But for normal grants, the means test usually applies to the primary caregiver only.'
To reduce panic and long queues at Sassa offices, Matlou said the agency is developing a self-review online platform so grant recipients can review their own information without visiting offices. Hotspot offices with high volumes are being staffed with additional personnel to handle reviews more efficiently.
'We've only sent out the first rounds of notifications in June. We're still within the review time frame. Once we pass that, and if clients haven't come forward, then suspension will occur not necessarily because they don't qualify but because they failed to do the review.'
The agency will publish data on the number of beneficiaries reviewed, the outcomes of those reviews and the number of grants continued or cancelled by the end of July.
SowetanLIVE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
SASSA reassures beneficiaries: NO grant payments suspended
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has reassured beneficiaries of social grants that no payments have been suspended or halted due to the ongoing social grant review process. Addressing the media on the current social grant review process on Monday, SASSA CEO, Themba Matlou, emphasised that all valid approved grants remain valid, and payments continue to be processed. 'Any beneficiary with an active and valid grant remains entitled to receive their payment,' Matlou said. Matlou explained that SASSA derives its mandate from the Constitution of the republic of South Africa and SASSA Act, which is to administer, manage and payment of social grants to eligible beneficiaries. He also highlighted that SASSA conducts regular reviews, as required by Regulation 30 of the Social Assistance Act, to ensure that every person receiving a social grant remains eligible based on their current circumstances. 'Section 14(5) of the Social Assistance Act requires beneficiaries to notify SASSA of any material change in their circumstances, including financial, marital as soon as reasonably possible. This obligation is also stated in the approval letter each beneficiary receives,' Matlou said. As a result of this legislation, Matlou said that in April 2025, SASSA announced its plans for reviews for the 2025/26 financial year. The targeted reviews aim to ascertain the eligibility of beneficiaries for whom the agency have obtained information that their circumstances have changed, and as a result, may no longer qualify for a social grant. Matlou also noted that the agency has this year introduced and implemented a fourth payment date to its payment schedule, where beneficiaries targeted for a review are paid on the fourth day of the payment cycle, to ensure that they receive their payment after the necessary review, 'without prejudicing the general payment cycle for others.' 'We believe this strategy is better than previous rounds where beneficiaries who do not receive their notifications only find out that they have been placed on review when they get suspended; at which time it is too late to have their payment for the month re-instated. 'Those beneficiaries who have not received a notification and are getting their payments on the normal pay dates (between the 2nd and 5th of the month), do not have to contact the agency,' Matlou said. On the complaints about access to SASSA offices, the CEO acknowledged the challenges during the month of June, where few beneficiaries came forward, except in some offices in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. However, he said the numbers have increased significantly in the month of July. He assured that the agency is constantly monitoring the numbers, and will adjust its operational plans accordingly, to ensure that 'it remains within our capacity.' Matlou stressed that the review of social grants helps identify beneficiaries who may no longer qualify due to changes in their financial, medical, or legal circumstances. The review also serves as a confirmation of life or existence, ensuring that grants are not paid out to deceased individuals or those who have relocated without updating their records. The reviews further allow SASSA to detect and prevent cases where individuals continue receiving grants despite being listed on payroll systems of other entities, including public or private. 'This is being done to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system [and] to ensure that only eligible beneficiaries receive support, preventing fraud and misuse of public funds. 'SASSA is undertaking the social grants review process for the better good of the government fiscus, thus ensuring that grants are paid to eligible beneficiaries and all the fraudulent elements are rooted out,' Matlou said. SASSA Executive Manager Grants Administration, Brenton Van Vrede, noted that with the reviews, the agency is not targeting the most vulnerable but those that have multiple sources of income. 'If the mother of the child receives child maintenance from the father or an Older Person's Grant beneficiary receives some sort of support from their child/children, it is unlikely to suspend the grant. If so, they will need to alert SASSA for assessment,' Van Vrede said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Herald
8 hours ago
- The Herald
Unemployed man wins R19.4m lotto jackpot, vows to uplift family, friend and community
An unemployed lotto player who won more than R19.4m in the lotto plus 2 jackpot plans to change his family's lives and help a friend. Upon realising his win, he was thrilled to share the news with his wife and is eager to transform his life and the lives of those around him. 'I also plan to help a former colleague who holds a special place in my heart,' he said. Ithuba, the operator of the National Lottery, said the man claimed his winnings of R19,435,068.10 from last week's Wednesday draw. He bought his ticket on a banking app with a R30 wager, using the quick pick selection method. The unemployed man attributed his luck to his persistence and belief that he would win one day. 'I have always believed I would win one day and now it has happened. 'I found out I had won through my bank and checked the results on the National Lottery app and I was shocked.' He wanted to make an impact on his family's wellbeing, grateful that he can now provide for their every need. He also plans to donate a portion of his winnings to charitable organisations and invest some of his winnings to create a sustainable source of income that will allow him to enjoy life's pleasures such as leisurely walks by the beach. Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza congratulated the winner. 'It's inspiring to see a winner who is committed to transforming not only his own life but also the lives of those around him; his family, friends and the community. When managed wisely, a multimillion jackpot win can rewrite the future for many people.' TimesLIVE
The Herald
9 hours ago
- The Herald
Sassa encourages honesty from grant beneficiaries during income reviews
'We have not experienced a situation where someone has been verified and not been paid. If the person no longer qualifies in terms of the legislation, we will suspend the grant but there hasn't [yet] been any suspension.' Matlou noted that means testing varies depending on the type of grant. For child support grants, it is the primary caregiver's income that is assessed, not the child's. In contrast, the SRD (Covid-19) grant involves more stringent, automated income checks via bank verification to determine eligibility. 'With SRD, we verify through the banks whether there's consistent money that comes through. But for normal grants, the means test usually applies to the primary caregiver only.' To reduce panic and long queues at Sassa offices, Matlou said the agency is developing a self-review online platform so grant recipients can review their own information without visiting offices. Hotspot offices with high volumes are being staffed with additional personnel to handle reviews more efficiently. 'We've only sent out the first rounds of notifications in June. We're still within the review time frame. Once we pass that, and if clients haven't come forward, then suspension will occur not necessarily because they don't qualify but because they failed to do the review.' The agency will publish data on the number of beneficiaries reviewed, the outcomes of those reviews and the number of grants continued or cancelled by the end of July. SowetanLIVE
