Sassa ‘review’ leaves thousands of desperate beneficiaries in limbo

CONFUSED, distressed and devastated is how thousands of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) beneficiaries have been left after their grant payments were abruptly and 'unjustly' cut without warning. 

Sassa is currently reviewing the eligibility of “targeted beneficiaries” suspected to have other alternative sources of income that were not disclosed to them. Sassa said 210 000 people were flagged to be having an additional source of income.

However the move has caused chaos on the ground for scores of pensioners, leaving countless elderly beneficiaries confused and distressed, unsure of what went wrong or how to fix it.

In a desperate bid to reclaim the only income many rely on to survive, some of them  have been forced to endure long, freezing queues.

Roxanne Fourie, who took her mother to the Sassa officers in Long street yesterday, reported long queues of senior citizens who had been standing in the cold since around 4am because they had not been paid. 

“I took my mom at half past 5am, if not a little bit earlier. Thousands of people were in that queue who hadn’t received their pensions, it was going right down until Pick n Pay. They stood all day, leaning against the wall of the shops.

"My mom said it was the worst experience she ever had.  I had to go up a second time so my mom could take her medication. I went to fetch her (at 1:30pm). She is sick, she's turning 75 years old. They say she must come for a review on Thursday. People have no money to survive, no food, electricity, now they must stand in that rain and cold weather. They were supposed to get paid last Wednesday.”

Similar distressing situations were reported in Bellville last week.

Beneficiary Ruben Benito said: "Sassa Bellville have not paid Sassa Old Age and Disability Grants for the month of July 2025. Apparently those who have been seen by Sassa officials here in Belville have been told that they must reapply. There are old people crying, some on crutches having to go home without money in their bank accounts. It is a travesty of serious judgment against the aged and the poor." 

Human rights organisation, Black Sash said they had received  hundreds of complaints and requests for help via their helpline and regional Community Monitoring teams concerning people who had not been paid.

“Many of these reports come from grant beneficiaries who have either not received their payments, have been flagged as fraudulent, or are being asked to reapply without proper explanation or notification. The level of distress and confusion is extremely high, particularly among older persons, people with disabilities, and unemployed youth. The issue is widespread and escalating. In KwaZulu-Natal alone, over 93 000 beneficiaries have reportedly been instructed to present themselves for verification. In rural and peri-urban communities, we are seeing long queues, inadequate support, and breakdowns in communication that leave beneficiaries without access to the grants they depend on for basic survival. This is not just an administrative issue—it is a human rights crisis. People are going without food, medication, and transport, and families are left vulnerable due to preventable delays and system failures,” said Black Sash spokesperson, Oliver Meth. 

The organisation said the problem lies in systemic failures within Sassa’s verification and communication processes.

“Beneficiaries are being flagged based on outdated or inaccurate data such as old UIF records, duplicate ID numbers, or banking discrepancies often through automated systems without human oversight. In many cases, people are not informed of their grant suspension, nor given clear reasons or steps to resolve the issue,” he said. 

Sassa spokesperson, Andile Tshona, said the reviews were only done on those targeted beneficiaries suspected of having an additional source of income that was not disclosed to Sassa at the time of grant application or at a point when their financial circumstances changed.

“Beneficiaries are obliged to inform Sassa when their financial circumstances change. The social grants reviews are to ensure that Sassa pays the right social grant to the right person and to also detect fraudulent activities.

“The identified beneficiaries are urged to visit Sassa offices for a review. Once their review has been successfully completed, they will receive their grant money,” said.

Cape Times