Grant beneficiaries complain they have not received their money

More than 100 social grant beneficiaries, many of them elderly, queued outside the KwaMashu offices of the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) on Thursday, to find out why they did not receive their grants in June and July.

Most of them came from areas like Ntuzuma, Inanda and Lindelani and had been queuing from as early as 5am.

Many said they kept being turned away and told that they had not brought the right documents.

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Thulani Mnguni said he had decided to come with his granddaughter so that she could help him understand exactly what had gone wrong. He said it was the second time he had come to find out.

"I was shocked to arrive at the supermarket to find that there is no money in my account. SASSA should have informed us which document they needed us to come with. I arrived so early so that I can finish everything today."

SASSA's new verification system has flagged grant beneficiaries with undisclosed income or who use alternative forms of identification. Their grants are withheld until they complete an in-person verification and review at a SASSA office. This has caused problems for many beneficiaries.

KwaZulu-Natal SASSA spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said the provincial office had identified 93,142 beneficiaries who had to come to SASSA for review. Beneficiaries had been notified using the contact details in SASSA's system, she said.

"SASSA is conducting these reviews to ensure that only eligible individuals continue to receive social assistance according to the law."

"During the month of June 2025 over R4-billion was paid to beneficiaries in KwaZulu-Natal," said Godlwana.

The KwaMashu local office had an average daily intake of 200 clients, she said.