IN SHORT: Some Facebook posts claim that South Africa's Department of Social Development will be administering a family support grant. But the department says this is false and likely a scam.
"Due to high level of complaints from South Africa families, *President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa* have urge that the Minister of Social Development *Sisisi Tolashe* should open the NATIONAL FAMILY SUPPORT scheme," reads a post on Facebook. It claims that every South African is now entitled to receive R1,682 for three months.
The same claim has been posted on Facebook here, here and here.
But has president Cyril Ramaphosa instructed the minister of social development to make these payments?
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Social assistance in South Africa
The Department of Social Development in South Africa manages poverty relief programmes and social welfare.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is responsible for distributing grants to vulnerable and poor people in South Africa every month. This includes the child support grant, the disability grant and the old age grant, among others.
By the end of October 2025, Sassa had paid out 19,153,856 grants. This number excludes the social relief of distress grant, which is paid out to eligible people who are not already recipients of another grant.
Is Sassa introducing a family support scheme grant?
The link in the posts directs to a blogspot page, a hosting website for blogs, instead of the official Sassa website. It asks for personal information such as full names, contact details, gender and the province of residence. This information can be used for identity theft.
Additionally, the spelling and grammar errors are a major red flag. One would expect official government communication to be checked and approved by several people.
Finally, there have been no news reports or official statements by Sassa, the Department of Social Development or even the South African government's news site about a new grant.
On 1 December, Sassa posted on its official Facebook page that claims about this grant were false. On the same day, the Department of Social Development released a media statement cautioning the public not to believe these claims. "There is no such programme, no new allowance, and no registration process related to this fabricated scheme," the statement reads. "Officials have emphasised that the message is a scam intended to mislead the public and to harvest personal information through fraudulent links."
Africa Check has fact-checked many scams targeting people who rely on or need social grants. Some claimed that the agency would provide school uniforms and food parcels, while others claimed that Sassa would introduce a grant for people over 75 with chronic illnesses.
Avoid unverified sites and only trust official communication
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Grant applications require sensitive personal information such as an identity number, banking information and a cellphone number. In October 2024, Sassa's spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi, told Africa Check that the public should only check the agency's official social media accounts for information on grants and related matters. Paseka said this was to ensure people received "accurate information and to avoid misinformation".
Sassa's official Facebook and X accounts are listed on the agency's website. Letsatsi also advised the public to contact the agency's toll-free customer care line at 0800 60 10 11 to verify the accuracy of information.
