By Mapaballo Borotho
- SASSA is investigating allegations that clinic staff in Cape Town are selling patient files to facilitate illegal social grant applications.
- Patients say missing records have prevented them from accessing legitimate disability support.
- Officials are calling for improved digital systems to reduce fraud and protect vulnerable applicants.
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has launched a fraud investigation into a Cape Town clinic after allegations that clinic staff are selling patient folders to help people illegally access social grants.
Patients say missing files have blocked them from receiving legitimate support, with some claiming they were told their records had been sold, raising questions about possible irregularities inside public health facilities.
The claims have raised concerns about a possible syndicate operating within public health facilities, prompting a SASSA probe into how widespread the alleged practice may be.
SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi says the agency has seen an increasing number of people applying for disability grants in recent months, a trend now under scrutiny.
“Unfortunately, because it is the Department of Health that can talk broadly about whether a person should qualify for a disability grant or not, or whether they are physically able to work, as SASSA, we do not have the powers to identify whether a person is disabled or able to work.
We rely on their medical records for such issues,” he said.
Letsatsi says this type of crime hits hard on vulnerable people, because SASSA cannot approve a disability grant if the patient has no file from the clinic or hospital, leaving gaps that can be exploited.
He says it is time the Department of Health goes digital and starts capturing files online instead of being stuck in the old way of recording personal details using paper, to reduce the risk of manipulation or loss.
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