SASSA Social Grants Corruption
It has been reported that a SASSA Social Grants Corruption whistleblower alerted authorities to a scheme centered around old age grants, leading to the arrest of a 70-year-old suspect and another individual on charges of corruption and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at SASSA’s office in Roodepoort, Johannesburg, a few weeks ago. Read more.
Given the seriousness of the accusations, further investigations are expected to uncover any other individuals connected to the scheme. The charges stem from a plot where individuals were signed up for old age grants, and someone was paid R1,000 per application as a bribe.
SASSA Kickback Scheme Executed?
The scheme was executed by approaching a SASSA official, proposing to register people for old age grants outside standard procedures in exchange for a fee. Initially, a batch of 15 applications, along with R15,000, was handed to the employee to process these applications unethically. Explore more on SASSA’s biometric identification.
A second batch of 20 applications and R23,150 in kickbacks was handed over later. Besides the kickback scheme, the individuals involved were found with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition in their vehicle, leading to additional legal charges.
SASSA Loses Over R50 Million Due to This Fraud
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu disclosed that the South African Social Security Agency had suffered a loss of over R50 million due to fraud and corruption. This financial loss occurred over two and a half years. Learn more about the SASSA R370 payments update.
This loss was a result of various fraudulent activities, such as the collection of social grants meant for deceased individuals, the submission of disability grant applications with falsified medical documents, and the illicit collection of child support grants.
Criticism of SASSA’s Response
Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Bridget Masango criticized SASSA for its inability to address fraud effectively. Despite receiving several complaints from Social Relief of Distress (SRD) beneficiaries regarding the misuse of their personal information and ID numbers, SASSA has failed to take adequate measures to address the issue. Find out about the hold on SASSA grant payments.
FAQs
What was the nature of the corruption at SASSA?
The corruption involved a scheme where individuals were registered for old age grants in exchange for bribes, bypassing standard procedures.
How much financial loss did SASSA incur due to fraud?
SASSA lost over R50 million due to various fraudulent activities, including the collection of grants meant for deceased individuals.
What steps is SASSA taking to address this issue?
Investigations are ongoing, and several arrests have been made, but there has been criticism regarding SASSA’s effectiveness in combating fraud.