PRETORIA – The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has launched a significant offensive against fraud and corruption, resulting in the arrest of officials and money lenders and the opening of 23 criminal cases, while simultaneously reporting a year of exceptional financial and service delivery performance.
The agency’s intensified anti-corruption drive led to coordinated arrests across three provinces. According to a SASSA report, the agency, in collaboration with the National Credit Regulator and law enforcement, apprehended money lenders in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the Northern Cape who were found in possession of SASSA gold cards belonging to beneficiaries.
In a separate but related internal crackdown, eight officials in Gauteng and three others were arrested for having bank cards, including SASSA gold cards. These individuals are now facing a multitude of fraud-related charges, underscoring the agency’s commitment to protecting the grants of vulnerable South Africans.
This robust action is part of a broader success in combating malfeasance. SASSA confirmed it has finalized 99% of all reported fraud and corruption cases, a statistic that highlights its strengthened internal controls and effective partnership with law enforcement agencies.
The crackdown coincides with the release of SASSA’s annual results for the 2024/25 financial year, which paint a picture of an organization achieving and exceeding its core mandates. The agency received an Unqualified Audit Opinion, a clear marker of strong governance and financial accountability.
Further demonstrating its fiscal discipline, SASSA reported a dramatic reduction in irregular expenditure, which plummeted from R34 million in 2023/24 to just R1.47 million in 2024/25.
On the service delivery front, the agency’s performance was equally impressive. SASSA processed a total of 1.8 million social grant applications against a target of 1.6 million, ensuring wider access to social support. Furthermore, it achieved a remarkable 91% on-time processing rate for new applications, ensuring that eligible South Africans received access to support within seven days.
The reliability of monthly payments was also underscored, with 99.96% of transactions processed successfully every month, providing peace of mind to millions of beneficiaries who depend on these grants.
Operational capacity was bolstered by filling 95% of funded posts and digitizing 403 local offices, making services more accessible to communities across the country.
Beyond its direct service delivery, SASSA also emphasized its role in economic transformation. The agency directed 6.85% of its procurement spend to black women, youth, and disability-owned enterprises, exceeding its own transformation targets and empowering communities.
These collective achievements underscore SASSA’s ongoing mission, encapsulated in its motto: “paying the right social grant, to the right person, at the right time and place. NJALO!”
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