Sassa to conduct grant reviews in KZN

THE South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has warned grant recipients to present themselves for the verification process it is conducting or risk their grants being suspended.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

The verification process is meant to ensure that grant beneficiaries are eligible. About 93 000 people in KwaZulu-Natal must present themselves for verification this financial year due to discrepancies uncovered by Sassa.

The verification process has led to concerns, with reports of grant recipients allegedly not receiving their grants. Civic organisation Black Sash said it had received hundreds of complaints about the process.

Sassa KZN spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said,, “In terms of Chapter 5 of the Social Assistance Act, Sassa is mandated to review social assistance and is empowered to suspend, increase, or decrease the amount of assistance provided, depending on the outcome of the review.’

She said Sassa in KZN was urging affected social grant beneficiaries to present themselves for grant reviews scheduled for the 2025/26 financial year. A total of 93 142 reviews will be conducted across the province to ensure continued eligibility and compliance with legislative requirements.

Godlwana mentioned that beneficiaries who do not comply with the review process risk suspension of their social grant. If a grant is suspended, the beneficiary will be informed in writing and has the right to appeal the decision within 90 days to the Independent Appeals Tribunal.