The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has blamed delays in death registrations and system limitations for its payment of R140 million in social grants to about 75,000 dead “beneficiaries”, according to News24.
On Wednesday, Sassa presented its audit action plan to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development, following a financially unqualified opinion by the Auditor-General for 2023/24.
Sassa chief financial officer Tsakeriwa Chauke explained that the issue stemmed from the timing of payment processing. At the end of each month, Sassa prepares payment files for the next month. But some beneficiaries may die between when the payment file is generated and when the payment is made, and they are included in the payment run.
Chauke said the agency was working on a new system, set to be tested in April, which will allow bulk recalls of payments to beneficiaries found to have died, based on records at the Department of Home Affairs.
Executive manager for grant operations at Sassa, Brenton van Vrede, said, “Although we are fully synchronised with home affairs, we are still dependent on citizens reporting a death.”
He explained that while most death cases are captured, some fall through the cracks, representing 0.02% of the total grant budget.
[Image: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik/GroundUp]