2024 SASSA grant applicants are unhappy with how long the agency is taking to process their requests. As The South African reported last week, the outlook for grants in 2025 looks to be positive, with at least a 5% increase predicted. But more applications are only likely to increase agency processing times, too. As it is, new applicants and existing beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency grants say they’ve been battling to access monies for months due to verification issues, reports GroundUp.
2024 SASSA GRANT APPLICANTS
The SASSA CEO revealed to parliament just last month the plight of 2024 SASSA grants applicants. The agency says applications for its ‘core’ grants like Older Persons, Childcare, Disability and War Veterans can take upwards of three months to be processed. Even though you will be back-paid to the date of application if successful.
However, the rules for the online-only SRD grant are far less rigid. So much so that an advocacy group has challenged new SRD verification rules in the Pretoria High Court. Moreover, 2024 SASSA grant applicants are reporting the system is riddled with issues and delays, too.
FACIAL RECOGNITION
In a bid to secure SASSA SRD grants paid to more than 9-million residents from fraudsters and scammers, the agency has introduced a raft of biometric verification requirements. If you want to change your mobile number or banking details, you must undergo a biometric identification verification.
Likewise, beneficiaries suspected of committing or being victims of fraud must use biometric verification to overturn their ‘referred’ SRD status. This occurs through their online profiles when an ‘identity verification request’ notification pops up. SASSA then sends all the instructions on how to proceed via SMS.
24-HOUR TURNAROUND
Of course, the issue for thousands of 2024 SASSA grant applicants is the fact they don’t have ready access to a smartphone and the internet. Moreover, the verification request must be completed within 24 hours, including taking a clear photo of the applicant’s face. But the inefficient SASSA system can reportedly take up to two days to send a message. This is often compounded by poor cellphone signal in rural and informal areas and links not working.
Another systemic problem to all this is if SASSA beneficiaries don’t have a smart card ID. In this case the likelihood of verification being successful is much lower when they only have a green ID booklet from the Department of Home Affairs. A digital photo is required on Home Affairs’ online database to be able to ‘talk’ efficiently with the SASSA system.
Nevertheless, many 2024 SASSA grant applicants have fallen foul of the verification delays. One applicant kept requesting a verification link, but the SMS never came. He even resorted to swapping his SIM card in case it was his cellphone and requested the link again. The man then telephoned SASSA’s toll-free hotline (number listed below) only to be told the system was down and they were struggling to fix it.
Another woman from the Eastern Cape clicked on the verification link only to be told she needed to wait three days to get a new link. This was back in June and hasn’t received anything since despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue. In response to the ongoing glitches, SASSA says it is exploring options to resend links automatically. Alternatively, the agency is looking into a self-service portal for beneficiaries.
TRY THESE NUMBERS
For any payment and/or verification queries, you can contact SASSA directly:
- SASSA Toll-Free Call: 0800 60 10 11
- SASSA Head Office: 012 400 2322
- Email SASSA: grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
- Or email: president@presidency.gov.za
HOW LONG DID YOU WAIT FOR YOUR SASSA GRANT?
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Ray Leathern
www.thesouthafrican.com
