DA calls for an independent audit of social grant recipient databases
14 January 2024
Following recent revelations of irregular and improper payments of social grants to undeserving beneficiaries, in violation of Section 21 of the Social Assistance Act, the DA is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to commission an independent audit of all social grant recipient databases as a matter of urgency.
The purpose of the independent audit will be to review the integrity of the data, weed out undeserving recipients and institute processes to recoup money that has been irregularly disbursed.
A response to a DA Parliamentary question by the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, revealed that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) paid out R140 million to 75 000 deceased beneficiaries over the past three financial years.
In a separate case, a response to another DA parliamentary question by the Minister of Minister of Public Service and Administration, Sizwe Mchunu, revealed that 5,812 Covid-19 social relief of distress grants and 33,833 social grants – paid to undeserving public servants, were cancelled after it was discovered that the applicants or beneficiaries had contravened the Social Assistance Act by furnishing false information.