Millions of people will receive social grant payments from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in the next few days as February grant payments commence. However, thousands of vulnerable people will be waiting for two months' worth of grant payments after their financial support was suspended in the first month of 2024.
The February 2024 Sassa grant payment dates can’t come soon enough for thousands of beneficiaries who last received Sassa grant payments at the beginning of December 2023.
At least 150,000 social grant beneficiaries were affected by the non-payment of January 2024 Sassa grants. Grant payments were suspended by Sassa due to discrepancies in grant beneficiary details.
Sassa revealed that discrepancies included cases where grant beneficiaries' ID numbers did not match with bank details. They explained that the issue was highlighted by the Auditor General which suggested potential fraudulent activity where scammers exploit the system to redirect funds.
The grant payment agency then took the decision to suspend grant payments. They also called on beneficiaries to update their personal details to ensure they would receive future grant payments.
In addition to this, Sassa said that if a grant beneficiary did not receive their January 2024 grant payment and is found to be eligible for that grant payment, they will be paid during the February payment run.
It was confirmed that they will receive a double grant payment, their outstanding January 2024 grant payment and their February 2024 grant payment.
February 2024 Grant Payment Dates
- Older Persons Grant - 2 February 2024
- Disability Grants - 5 February 2024
- Children's Grants - 6 February 2024
Sassa emphasises the need for accurate information and urges beneficiaries to update their details promptly. The agency is working to address the backlog, verifying and paying legitimate beneficiaries while cautioning against phishing attempts.
Grant beneficiaries who require financial assistance can collect their Sassa grants at several different payment points. These payment points include ATMs and retail stores such as Pick n Pay, Checkers, Shoprite and Boxer.
