Question NW26 to the Minister of Social Development
19 March 2024 - NW26
van der Merwe, Ms LL to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1) What (a) number of deceased individuals continue to receive the monthly grants from the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) in the (i) 2022-23 financial year and (ii) since 1 April 2023 and (b) is the breakdown of the monies that have been lost in each specified period; (2) (a) what number of government employees receive a social grant from SASSA, (b) what is the breakdown of the grants the specified employees collected since 1 January 2022 and (c) in which department is each employee who is receiving a grant employed?
Reply:
1. (a) As stated in my reply to Parliamentary Question 4207, SASSA works closely with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on data validation and conducts monthly checks to confirm the life status of clients before a payment file is generated. SASSA does not knowingly pays social grants to deceased beneficiaries.
(i)(ii)(b) Please refer to my reply to Question 4207
2. It is important for the Honourable Member to note that all social grants, with the exception of Foster Child Grant, which is court issued, are means tested for eligibility. If a government employee decides to foster a child an apply for a Foster Child Grant and the court grant foster care place, the employee will be eligible for the Foster Care Grant.
It is also important for the Honourable Member to note some categories of government employees such as those recruited through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and internship programmes, most of whom are the groups appearing on the government database. These individuals would qualify to receive social grants, should they satisfy the eligibility criteria.
(b) The breakdown of grant types is as follows:
|
Grant Type |
Number |
|
Care dependency grant |
61 |
|
Child Support Grant |
3773 |
|
Disability Grant |
3579 |
|
Older Person’s Grant |
52 655 |
|
Grand Total |
60 068 |
All of the above beneficiaries were identified through the AGSA audit process and they were subjected to a review process by SASSA. It was found that some of the employees receive social grants on behalf of someone in their care.