Confusion Persists Over Sassa Grant Review Process Amid Long Queues and Uncertainty

Confusion continues to cloud the South African Social Security Agency’s (Sassa) beneficiary review process, with many grant recipients expressing frustration over perceived delays, despite the agency's assurances that no payments have been suspended.

In a press briefing this week, Sassa updated the public on the ongoing review of approximately 210,000 social grant beneficiaries. The review process, aimed at verifying beneficiaries’ eligibility and preventing fraud, has been mired in complaints of poor communication, long queues at Sassa offices, and uncertainty among recipients fearing suspension of their crucial financial lifeline.

Brenton van Vrede, Sassa’s Executive Manager for Grants Administration, sought to calm fears, stating clearly that no grants had been suspended as a result of the review process.

“All grants remain in payment in the months they are due,” van Vrede said. “We are conducting a verification exercise, but this does not mean we have stopped payments to anyone involved in the process.”

However, this assurance is at odds with the experience of many grant recipients who say they have faced unexplained payment delays, conflicting information from Sassa offices, and repeated requests to re-submit documentation. Some have reported being turned away from pay points or offices without clear guidance on next steps.

Sibongile Maseko, a 67-year-old pensioner from Soweto, says her grant was not paid in June, despite having complied with requests to update her details.

“I’ve been to the Sassa office three times in the past two months. Each time they say everything is fine, but I didn’t get my money last month. They told me to wait, but how do I wait without food?” Maseko said.

The situation has led to growing public frustration, with civil society groups calling for greater transparency and improved communication from the agency.

“There’s a clear disconnect between what Sassa is saying and what people on the ground are experiencing,” said Advocate Dineo Mokoena of the Social Grants Justice Coalition. “Even if grants are technically not suspended, people are not receiving their money, and the agency must account for these inconsistencies.”

Newly appointed Sassa CEO, Nomsa Mkhize, has acknowledged the challenges and pledged to clear the backlog of reviews and improve service delivery. In a recent televised interview, Mkhize said her immediate priority is resolving the confusion around the review process.

“We understand the distress this situation has caused,” she said. “We are working urgently to improve our systems and ensure that beneficiaries are kept informed every step of the way.”

Meanwhile, van Vrede emphasised that beneficiaries under review should continue to receive their payments and urged anyone facing issues to contact Sassa directly for assistance.