JOHANNESBURG – The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has started processing May 2025 grant payments, with Older Persons and Children’s Grants among those scheduled this week. But for thousands of flagged beneficiaries, a critical identity verification process could result in delayed—or permanently cancelled—payments if urgent steps are not taken.
As previously reported by NOWinSA, the agency has confirmed that no May payments will be processed for beneficiaries whose ID numbers remain unverified in the system.
SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi confirmed the agency has blocked grant payments for over 20,000 beneficiaries whose ID numbers are valid with the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA), but are not reflected in SASSA’s 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. However they have to make sure they go to the Department of Home Affairs and make sure they get their books in order.”
Confirmed SASSA May 2025 grant payment dates
As confirmed in this NOWinSA update:
- Older Persons Grant: Tuesday, May 6
- War Veterans Grant: Tuesday, May 6
- Disability Grant: Wednesday, May 7
- Grant-in-Aid: Wednesday, May 7
- Children’s Grants (Child Support, Foster Care, Care Dependency): Thursday, May 8
- SRD R370 Grant: April 25–30 (May dates to be confirmed)
Also read: SASSA payment update – 2 ways to get paid & the 6 official retailers
Who is affected?
Those affected include individuals who initially applied with alternative forms of ID, such as refugee permits or late birth registrations. While many now hold official South African IDs, they have yet to update their records with SASSA.
“In these instances, we now have a memorandum of understanding with DOHA. When we check the details with Home Affairs we find that themselves 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.”
“They 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, your grant will lapse permanently.”
The review also affects beneficiaries picked up through bulk means-testing, which identifies undisclosed income in other bank accounts.
“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.”
These changes follow the enforcement of new ID verification rules effective May 5, now impacting thousands of grant recipients.
“The call is neither targeted to anyone who has a black or gold card. It might be someone using their own private banks.”
Why it matters now
The verification crackdown comes as authorities investigate a fraud case involving R260 million in grant payments. The scam exploited loopholes in the use of alternative IDs—often with the help of SASSA insiders. The case has been postponed to June 10 in the Lenasia Magistrates Court.
“We’ve seen that it’s not only from outside who are engaged in this particular fraud activity. They are working in cahoots with SASSA staff members.”
The agency has committed to monthly reviews of beneficiaries’ financial standing and ID status and plans to expand verification efforts further in the 2025/2026 financial year.
What you should do now
If you’ve been contacted by SASSA or suspect your grant is at risk:
- Visit your nearest SASSA office immediately with your 13-digit South African ID.
- Complete the verification process to restore access to your grant.
- Act urgently—failure to verify your ID can lead to suspension or full lapsing of your grant.
“We have about 20 000 in the system in this regard whom we have flagged. We have made communication to them using their mobile phones and we’re hoping that indeed if these applicants are not fraudulent, they’ll come forward and make a verification and we just make sure they get tHEir payments immediately.”
This applies particularly to Older Person’s Grants and Children’s Grants being paid this week.
Where to get help
There are more than 400 SASSA regional and satellite offices nationwide, open Monday to Friday from 08h00 to 17h00. Before visiting, contact SASSA here:
- Toll-free: 080 060 1011
- WhatsApp: +27 82 046 8553
- Email: grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
- Presidency escalation: president@presidency.gov.za
- National contact list: services.sassa.gov.za
- Gauteng locations: sassa.gov.za – Gauteng
For more updates and tools on your social grants, visit the NOWinSA SASSA Resource Centre — Stories Shaping South Africa Today.
