Sassa Archives - Voice of the Cape

SASSA beneficiaries urged to switch to Postbank black cards before March 20 deadline

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card users must transition to Postbank black cards before March 20, as gold cards will be deactivated, leaving black cards as the sole means for beneficiaries to access their funds. Speaking on NewsBeat on Thursday, Postbank CEO Nikki Mbengashe provided an update on the migration process. “We reached one million last Friday, meaning over a million people have already switched to the new […]

13 March 2025

Cape Town

SASSA welcomes the sentence of a 69 year old woman who defrauded the agency

By Kouthar Sambo The Pretoria North Regional Court sentenced Devi Sarathamoney (69) to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, 4 March 2025, for perjury, theft, and fraud against the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). "Sarathamoney's sentence serves as a warning to anyone fraudulently receiving grant money. She submitted false documents to SASSA and was approved for an Old Age Grant from 2017 to 2022, despite being the sole director […]

5 March 2025

Local

The South African Postbank urges WC grantees to switch over to black cards before the new deadline

Grant Beneficiaries in the Western Cape (WC) is encouraged to switch their South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold cards to Postbank black cards as soon as possible. Speaking to VOC News, grant beneficiaries shared some of their concerns around the challenges they experience when trying to obtain the new cards. “Cape Town has a few sites to do the switch. It is costly to get to these sites. These […]

17 February 2025

Local

SRD grant case outcome expected early next year

Following a two-day court hearing that took place in the Pretoria High Court this week, legal experts have indicated that the outcome of the case will be announced at the start of 2025. The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants launched an application against the Minister for Social Development, and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in July 2023, challenging regulations that unlawfully and unconstitutionally exclude up to […]

1 November 2024

Local

Two students detects loopholes in the SASSA payment system

By Kouthar Sambo Two students detected loopholes in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) payment system and have called on the government to restart the entire grant system. This comes after two first-year IT students briefed the Social Development Committee yesterday on how easy it is to defraud the system when applying for the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. Furthermore, the matter has prompted SASSA to urgently investigate […]

24 October 2024

Local

Grant recipients fall prey to loan sharks

By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert State social grants are used as collateral for high-interest loans by unregistered or informal lenders, also known as loan sharks, who continue to target social grant recipients, particularly the elderly or single moms. To make matters worse, these dishonest lenders are not subject to any laws. Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Wednesday Odwa Nweba Stellenbosch University Law Clinic said grant recipients, often in dire need of […]

16 October 2024

Local

Postbank dismisses fake news affecting SASSA gold card users

By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert The South African Postbank has dismissed fake news circulating on social media, requesting South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card holders to switch to using a South African Bank card account to access their grants. Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Wednesday, Postbank spokesperson Bongani Diako said beneficiaries should contact the Postbank if they need clarity around grant payouts. “We have noticed a recent spike in […]

9 October 2024

Local

SASSA faces backlash after underspending R4 billion on SRD grants

By Ragheema Mclean The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is under fire after the Auditor-General revealed it had underspent by R4 billion on Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grants during the 2022/23 financial year. Last week, the Auditor-General presented these findings to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development in Parliament. Senior Audit Manager at the Auditor-General’s office Puleng Molapo attributed the underspending to a lower uptake of the SRD […]

17 September 2024

Local

SASSA appeals to the public to remain vigilant as scams do the rounds

By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has confirmed the latest scam doing the rounds claims the Grant-in-Aid funding is available to all those above 70 years old. Speaking on VOC Breakfast on Tuesday, SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said the Grant-in-Aid is among the eighth SASSA social grants that is offered by the organization. “Recently, SASSA has been inundated with fake messages circulating on social media […]

3 September 2024

Sassa

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