Latest News & Developments
sassa
SASSA rolls out biometric verification for grant applicants without 13-digit ID
Starting 05 May 2025, SASSA will implement a mandatory biometric enrolment process for clients without a 13-digit South African ID, enhancing security and preventing fraud in social assistance.
Easily check your SASSA R370 grant payment dates online
Discover how South Africans can easily check their R370 Social Relief Grant payment dates online through SASSA's user-friendly platform, ensuring timely access to vital financial support.
How to switch your SASSA SRD grant payments to TymeBank
SASSA has announced that beneficiaries of the R370 SRD grant can now switch their payment method to Tyme Bank by visiting a nearby kiosk to open an account, then submitting updated banking details at a SASSA office.
SASSA R370 Grant: How to check your payment dates online
SASSA has made it easier for R370 Social Relief of Distress grant beneficiaries to check their payment dates online.
Postbank black card suspension: Sassa advises gold card users to apply for alternative banking
Sassa urges gold card beneficiaries to apply for alternative banking options following Postbank black card suspension.
Eastern Cape Sassa executive manager reinstated after dismissal challenge at CCMA
Eastern Cape Sassa regional manager Bandile Maqetuka has been reinstated after challenging his dismissal at the CCMA
SASSA officials deny involvement in R260 million fraud scheme as bail hearing continues
Seven SASSA officials among 11 suspects facing more than 1 300 criminal charges in a R260 million fraud scheme claim innocence at their bail hearing in Lenasia Magistrate's Court. One suspect pleads for bail to care for her cancer-stricken mother.
Deadline for SASSA gold card replacement extended to May 2025
Beneficiaries of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) can now breathe easier as the deadline to replace their gold cards has been extended to May.
Deadline alert: SASSA beneficiaries must exchange gold cards for black cards now
SASSA beneficiaries are granted a two-month extension to swap their gold cards for Postbank's black cards, but the deadline looms. Act now to secure your grants before May 2025
Final extension: SASSA beneficiaries have until May 2025 to switch to black cards
Postbank announces final extension for SASSA gold card holders until May 31, 2025, warning that beneficiaries who don't switch to the new black cards by this deadline will face challenges accessing their grants despite funds being deposited.
Sassa card swap: This is what you need to know
Social grant recipients must transition to new Postbank cards to avoid disruptions in accessing funds, as SASSA gold cards will no longer be accepted after the March 20 deadline.
SASSA corruption exposed: Social Development Committee lauds whistleblowers
SASSA officials arrested for a R260 million fraud scheme, thanks to whistleblowers. The ongoing investigation highlights the critical role of whistleblowing in combating corruption.
SASSA officials visit vulnerable beneficiaries to assist with Gold Card migration
SASSA and Postbank launch home visit initiative to help bedridden beneficiaries switch from Gold to Black Cards before March 20 deadline. Medical verification required for eligibility
Last Call for Sassa gold card holders to switch to Postbank black cards before March 20 deadline
Grant beneficiaries are urged to switch to the new Postbank black cards before the March 20 deadline, as SASSA gold cards will cease to function.
More charges added as Sassa officials face over 1,300 counts in R260 million fraud scheme
The officials made their first appearance in the Lenasia Magistrate's Court where they had their charges escalated to over 1,300 counts of cybercrime, fraud, and theft.
Three Sassa officials arrested for R260 million fraud in Joburg CBD
Three SASSA officials arrested in Joburg CBD for alleged involvement in a R260 million fraud scheme, highlighting serious corruption within the agency.
Postbank's struggles: Card Replacement Project workers allegedly not paid
Workers in Postbank's Card Replacement Project voice their frustrations over unpaid wages, revealing a crisis that affects thousands of SASSA beneficiaries struggling to upgrade their cards
Women, 69, sentenced to 10 years for Sassa fraud
Sarathamoney Devi Sigamoney served as a director of a company that won lucrative state contracts
Company director Devi Sigamoney jailed to 10 years for defrauding SASSA
Sarathamoney Devi Sigamoney received a 10-year prison sentence for fraudulently obtaining SASSA pension payouts while managing a successful company.
Ghost Children Scam: Four women sentenced in R61,000 Sassa grant fraud case
Four Mpumalanga women who created fictional children to fraudulently claim over R61,000 in Sassa child support grants have received suspended sentences.
How the proposed VAT hike threatens rural pensioners' survival | Budget 2025
Rural pensioners surviving on R2,190 monthly grants warn that Treasury's proposed 2% VAT increase would devastate their already stretched budgets, forcing impossible choices between food, medicine and transport.
'We can't survive': Single mothers worry about the cost of living as VAT hike proposal adds more pain | Budget 2025
IOL went to the streets of Johannesburg to hear first-hand accounts from people on their financial struggles that an increase in VAT would have on their lives.
Treasury proposed massive social grant increases alongside 2% VAT increase
Treasury documents released on Wednesday showed that a 2% VAT increase would have injected R58 billion into the fiscal, which Godongwana said would have been used to fund the immediate projects including the revitalisation of the public railway system for the benefit of the poor and working class, hiring and retaining teachers, doctors, front line workers and other public servants, while also capacitating the government’s early childhood development programmes
Sassa crisis: Postbank rapped over knuckles
MPs lamented that extending the deadline of the Sassa card transition without an improved rollout plan would prolong beneficiaries' frustration and panic.
Sassa, minister under fire over “chaotic” card payment switch
Postbank and Sassa have been accused of failing to ensure a smooth transition, forcing beneficiaries to endure long queues, network glitches and being turned away without completing their card replacements, and uncertainty about how they will receive their grants going forward.