In a bid to root out fraudulent applications, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) says it will introduce a mandatory Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment in all its offices from 1 September.
This comes as the agency is currently undertaking the social grants review process for the better good of the government fiscus, thus ensuring that grants are paid to eligible beneficiaries and all the fraudulent elements are rooted out.
SASSA INTRODUCES MANDATORY BENEFICIARY BIOMETRIC ENROLMENT
The agency said the new era is expected to revolutionise the administration of social grants, and the biometric enrolment is set to be a precursor to detect and nip in the bud any potentially fraudulent activities in its grant system.
Meanwhile, SASSA chief executive officer (CEO), Themba Matlou has welcomed the implementation of the biometric enrolment, highlighting that this was set to commence at the beginning of the 2025/2026 financial year.
“We hit a snag, but we have ironed out the issues that delayed our plans and it is all systems go for the implementation,” he said.
‘A STRATEGIC MOVE’
SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the biometric enrolment is a strategic move to ensure every grant recipient is verifiably authentic and that SASSA’s systems are resilient against manipulation and error, especially in cases involving forged green IDs that frontline staff cannot reliably detect.
Letsatsi said the biometric enrolment will ensure:
- Significant reduction in fraudulent applications and duplicate payments
- Reliable verification of beneficiary authenticity and proof of life
- Reduction in inclusion errors
- Streamlined documentation processes
- Enhanced audit outcomes and stronger record integrity
- Improved public trust in the Social Assistance Programme
“This initiative will ensure the enhancement of record controls, contributing to a more secure and accountable grants system, whilst ascertaining that social grant recipients are living individuals at the time of application,” Letsatsi explained.
Notably, grant applications captured and approved from 1 September onwards will include biometric fingerprint enrolment or facial recognition through electronic Know Your Client (eKYC).
“Applications without biometric data will be immediately put into the review cycle, notifying the client of the need to capture biometric data as per the review processes,” Letsatsi added.
DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THE NGOING SASSA GRANT REVIEW PROCESS?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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