JOHANNESBURG – The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed delays in May 2025 social grant payments for a specific group of beneficiaries due to an identity verification and fraud-prevention drive.
According to SASSA national spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi, the delays apply to individuals whose identification details on SASSA’s database who are yet to verify their identities, despite being valid in the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) system.
“When you come and make an application and you don’t have an ID, we’re obliged to take an alternative method of identification to approve a grant for you. So it means these guys came to SASSA and they presented themselves and a grant for them was approved. So they’re in actual fact beneficiaries,” Letsatsi explained during an interview with eNCA.
However, many of these beneficiaries—who may have used refugee numbers, late birth registrations or unique identifiers—now appear to have valid IDs on the DOHA database.
“In these instances, we now have a memorandum of understanding with DOHA. When we check the details with Home Affairs we find that these same guys came and made the applications, and have the IDs. When we now say they must now come with an ID to make a verification, they decide not to present themselves,” he added.
Who is affected?
Roughly 20,000 individuals have been flagged. Affected grant recipients include:
- People whose SASSA records contain alternative identification rather than the official 13-digit SA ID (those using sworn affidavit)
- Applicants who now have IDs according to Home Affairs but haven’t updated their SASSA profile.
The call is neither targeted to anyone who has a Black Postbank Black Card or the SASSA Gold Card, he explained. “It might be someone using their own private banks. And it may be that they did not have their [ID] with them for their grants to be released. Either they did the late registration of birth or they were refugees who came and we had to use a particular unique number to make sure we process them,” said Letsatsi.
ALSO READ: New SASSA ID rules begin May 5: which grant beneficiaries are affected?
Why the crackdown now?
This latest move comes amid mounting pressure to plug systemic loopholes. It follows revelations of a R260 million SASSA fraud case currently before the Lenasia Magistrates’ Court, involving a syndicate that exploited refugee data and worked with rogue officials inside SASSA.
“The call comes in the back of an ongoing court case involving individuals who were fraudulently stealing money from the SASSA grant payment system. They were using this particular loophole of refugees in particular, to make sure they make the numbers and they’re able to defraud the system and pay themselves. And obviously we’ve seen that it’s not only people from outside who are engaged in this particular fraud activity. They are working in cahoots with the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) staff members,” Letsatsi revealed.
What should affected beneficiaries do?
Beneficiaries flagged in this process have already been contacted via their mobile numbers.
“You must come and verify, and if you don’t come, you’ll never be able to access the money. And if you don’t come within a particular period of time, their grant will lapse permanently,” Letsatsi warned.
Verification must be done in person at a SASSA office. The agency is coordinating with the National Treasury to conduct monthly reviews and assist those who respond in time.
“We have agreed with the National Treasury that we’re going to embark on a verification process every month end to make sure that they are assisted.” As to can anyone whose identification is not in the system go to, he said:
They have to come to SASSA offices and verify that indeed they’re the right beneficiaries of the grant.”
Means testing also intensifies
SASSA is also conducting additional reviews through bulk means-testing to identify grant recipients who may no longer be eligible due to undeclared income.
“Social grants beneficiaries are reminded that, in line with Regulation 30 of the Social Assistance Act, social grants are subject to reviews at any time when there are reasons to believe that beneficiary circumstance has changed. A beneficiary may have applied for a grant at a specific period and qualified, but their material conditions could have improved over time and made them not eligible to receive a grant anymore,” Letsatsi said in an earlier media interview.
Next step
If you or someone you know has not received their May SASSA grant and used alternative ID during the application process, visit your nearest SASSA office urgently to verify your identity. Failure to do so could result in the suspension or permanent cancellation of your grant.
According to the latest SASSA contact list, there are more than 400 regional and satellite SASSA offices countrywide. These offices operate from 08h00 to 17h00, Monday to Friday, and are closed on weekends and public holidays.
However, before making the trip, beneficiaries with questions are encouraged to first make contact through the following official SASSA channels:
- SASSA toll-free number: 080 060 1011
- WhatsApp support: +27 82 046 8553
- Email enquiries: grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
- For presidential escalations: president@presidency.gov.za
- Full SASSA contact directory: services.sassa.gov.za
- Gauteng SASSA office locations: sassa.gov.za – Gauteng
For more insights into your social grants, visit the NOWinSA SASSA Resource Centre — Stories Shaping South Africa Today.
