The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has been instructed by Parliament to restore the Electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) system. This system allows Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant beneficiaries to verify their identity and access essential SRD grant payments.
Sassa recently informed SRD grant recipients that their payments would be suspended due to suspected fraud.
As a result, beneficiaries were required to reapply and verify their identity using the eKYC system. However, they are currently unable to do so, as Sassa has suspended the system.
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango, has urged Sassa to reinstate the eKYC system.
Masango acknowledged Sassa’s efforts to combat fraud but warned that thousands of people would be unable to receive critical relief if the system was not restored.
We appreciate the effort to combat fraud, but we strongly express concern about the suspended eKYC verification system that leaves thousands of eligible people unable to prove their eligibility.
An estimated 100,550 SRD grant payments in the Eastern Cape have been suspended as part of Sassa’s ongoing investigation into weaknesses in the payment system.
It remains unclear what percentage of recipients are committing fraud, as the verification system is offline.
The Minister must intervene and ensure that the verification system is brought back online to enable the deserving beneficiaries to receive their grants.
While the committee recognises the ongoing investigation, it reiterates that deserving beneficiaries should not be negatively affected by the processes Sassa is undertaking.
