Sassa tightens up grant system

Aretha Linden

EVERY social grant recipient will soon have to prove they are alive every month in order to access their social grant.

This week the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) advertised that all social grant beneficiaries would have to undergo new proof of life certification, involving a biometric test using either voice or fingerprint verification.

Phase one in the Eastern Cape begins at the end of this month, where Sassa has targeted a large number of grant recipients who will have to undergo the process.

The province has a total of 3.6- million grant recipients, half of whom are children under the age of 18 receiving a child grant.

Sassa spokesman Luzuko Qina said the new verification system had been introduced to ensure grants were paid to a living person and not a "ghost".

"This system will also stop money-lenders from keeping beneficiary cards as collateral.

"The callers' voices will be matched to their voice recording taken during the Sassa re registration process," Qina said.

Those collecting at Sassa paypoints or at retailers with fingerprint scanners will use the finger verification system.

"If the beneficiary fails the voice verification their grant will not be cancelled. Instead they will then have to do a thumbprint life certification at a paypoint."