Delays in grant payments can be a major setback for those who rely on it to afford the most basic goods and services. Since May 2022, 5-10% of the Social Relief of Distress grant beneficiaries have still not received their payments. Here is what is happening with these delayed payments.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) provides financial assistance in the form of grants to vulnerable South Africans. However, they are behind on thousands of payments due to several factors.
Historic payments are made each month once the monthly pay period payments have been completed. So far, since May 2022, the average payment percentage reflects that 90-95% of clients are being paid each month. This leaves the remaining beneficiaries without financial assistance.
These historic payments are grant payments from the previous Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD grant) cycle that could not be completed due to various reasons.
Why Could Certain Payments Not Be Completed?
There are several reasons why payments could not be completed for the specific payment month.
Payment details have changed and the new account is pending bank account verification
When clients submit new accounts, they are sent to the National Treasury daily, which then sends them to the relevant banks for verification.
Responses from banks typically come within three to five days, however, some banks may take longer due to internal verification controls.
Bank accounts that could not be verified are re-extracted every five days by Sassa and resent to the National Treasury for verification.
Referred cases
Referred cases are approved applications that could not be paid due to challenges with identity verification. For example, the applicant’s ID number has been used in fraudulent activities, like identity theft.
Clients whose cases have been referred will receive an SMS with a link that they must use to confirm their identity.
