Sassa denies involvement in social grant insurance scams

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has rejected allegations that its officials are involved in insurance scams targeting social grant beneficiaries. The individuals alleged that Sassa officials were involved in the scheme. Sassa chief executive officer Themba Matlou strongly denied the claims, saying the agency’s systems do not allow such conduct and warned that scammers may be exploiting the organisation’s name to target vulnerable beneficiaries.

“Sassa strongly distances itself from these acts and refutes allegations that officials are involved in them, as our systems do not allow such practices,” said Matlou. The agency’s name should not be associated with people who are not employed by or operating on behalf of Sassa. He urged social grant recipients to be cautious when approached by individuals requesting personal information.

Matlou warned beneficiaries not to share their personal or banking details with anyone claiming to represent Sassa or offering benefits linked to their grants. He also emphasised that the agency does not work directly with insurance companies or funeral schemes and cannot deduct money from grants without the beneficiary’s consent. Beneficiaries who suspect unauthorised deductions linked to funeral policies can dispute them by sending an SMS with their ID number and the service provider’s name to 34548.