By Mapaballo Borotho

- SASSA has warned that officials who bypass its biometric verification system to fraudulently process social grant applications will be dismissed and criminally charged.
- CEO Themba Matlou says the agency is intensifying efforts to eliminate corruption and ensure grants reach only deserving beneficiaries.
- He revealed that about 43 officials were dismissed in the last financial year for corruption-related offences.
Pressure is mounting on corrupt officials as the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) vows to charge and dismiss any employee found to have bypassed the agency’s biometric verification system to process, verify or approve social grant applications.
The warning comes as SASSA intensifies its efforts to eliminate corruption within the social grant system and ensure that grants are paid only to deserving beneficiaries.
SASSA CEO Themba Matlou says the agency is determined to root out all corrupt officials.
“We have introduced various measures to root out fraudulent and corrupt elements at SASSA, and we are not going to rest until we know that we have officials who are ready to serve our people with integrity.
“As such, we introduced the Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment system to deal with identity theft, ensuring that we pay social grants to deserving beneficiaries,” said Matlou.
He added that while the agency continues to review grants to identify undeserving beneficiaries, it is also focusing on employees who enable fraudulent and corrupt transactions.
“It is not a secret that some of our officials have been found to have transgressed processes to enable the corrupt scourge. That is why, in the last financial year, we dismissed about 43 officials who, among other transgressions, were found to have committed these acts,” he said.
Matlou warned that officials found circumventing SASSA’s biometric verification system will face both disciplinary action and criminal prosecution as the agency strengthens its fight against corruption.
READ NEXT: SASSA July 2026 payment dates confirmed: Find out when your grant will be paid



