SASSA vows criminal charges and dismissals for officials linked to grant fraud

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has warned that officials who manipulated the agency’s biometric verification system to approve fraudulent social grant applications will face criminal charges, dismissal and possible recovery action against their pension benefits.

CEO announces tougher stance

SASSA Chief Executive Officer Themba Matiou announced the agency’s intensified efforts on Monday as part of a campaign to eradicate fraud and corruption within the social grants system. Matiou said any official found to have unlawfully bypassed the biometric system to process, verify or approve grant applications would be held accountable.

“The South African Social Security Agency is intensifying efforts to root out fraud and corruption in its social grant system and ensure that the right social grant is paid to the right and deserving persons,” said Matiou.

Legal and financial recovery measures

As part of the escalation, SASSA said it would seek preservation orders through the High Courts against the Government Employees Pension Fund benefits of officials implicated in fraudulent grants. The agency also intends to recover financial losses suffered by the state from officials who played a role in approving fraudulent applications.

Biometric enrolment and internal clean-up

SASSA said the crackdown accompanies the continued rollout of its biometric enrolment system, which it described as a measure aimed at combating identity theft and preventing grants from being paid to ineligible recipients.

“We have introduced various measures to root out fraudulent and corrupt elements at SASSA, and we are not going to rest until we know that we have officials who are ready to serve our people with integrity,” said Matiou.

Matiou noted that SASSA has intensified reviews of beneficiaries to identify those who no longer qualify for grants and that the agency is equally focused on rooting out corruption within its own ranks.

“It is not a secret that some of our officials have been found to have transgressed processes to enable the corrupt scourge. That is why in the last financial years, we dismissed about 43 officials, who amongst other transgressions were found to have committed these acts,” he said.

Ongoing commitment

The agency described the latest measures as part of a broader effort to safeguard public funds and restore confidence in the administration of social grants. Matiou said SASSA would intensify its anti-corruption drive during the current financial year and reiterated the agency’s commitment to cleaning up the social grants system and protecting resources intended for vulnerable citizens.