'I smelled the rot from a mile': Another day, another SASSA fraud claim
A listener shares her disturbing experience after it was revealed that thousands of ID numbers have been fraudulently used to claim the SRD grant.
- South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
- Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant
- R350 social relief of distress grant
A South African Social Security Agency office in Pretoria. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
Hunadi, a CapeTalk listener with a disturbing story about SASSA, joins Lester Kiewit.
Listen below.
ALSO READ: Stellenbosch University students uncover massive SRD grant scam at SASSA
This week, an investigation by two first-year Stellenbosch University computer science students uncovered a massive apparent fraud within the SASSA SRD grant system.
By legally accessing SASSA's API, Joel Cedras and Veer Gosai discovered thousands of fraudulent SRD applications and payments.
The students first ran approximately 300 000 ID numbers through the system for people born in February 2005.
Suspiciously, they discovered an almost 91% application rate for people born in that year.
Then they entered their own details, and despite never having applied for the grant, found there were applications for the SRD grant lodged under their own ID numbers.
Cape Talk listener Hunadi heard the interview on Good Morning Cape Town on Wednesday and it sounded all too familiar.
Her son, who turned 18 in May, wanted to register for the grant with some of his friends.
Hunadi offered her Wi-Fi at home to help the youngsters apply.
"He brought a WHOLE lot of his friends. I started with his; it said grant already active. I did the next one; same story. The next one; same story."
- Hunadi, CapeTalk listener
But it didn't end there. Hunadi contacted relatives elsewhere in South Africa, whose children were born the same year. They also received the same message.
"She said it would not go through... someone has already taken the money."
Hunadi, CapeTalk listener
Hunadi said she panicked and went to the SASSA office in Kempton Park, Gauteng.
She was told the systems were offline.
She was then referred to the Head Office in Pretoria.
"I took 18 kids with me, 18 kids, with my money to Pretoria. When we got to the building that says SASSA HQ, there was nobody there. Security refers you to another building up the road."
- Hunadi, CapeTalk listener
When they arrived at the building, Hunadi says she could 'smell the rot from a mile'.
"People were sitting outside. We sat outside that office for about four hours with no one coming to say anything."
- Hunadi, CapeTalk listener
Kiewit says Good Morning Cape Town continues to make efforts to contact SASSA.
Hunadi says they returned the following day and saw a notice saying the system was still offline.
"I texted Bridget Masango of the DA, but nothing came out of it... There are a lot of kids who need that money, and their ID numbers have already been used, my son's included."
- Hunadi, CapeTalk listener
"We've been trying to get someone from social development and SASSA to talk to us... Before this week is over we will have some form of officialdom speak to us."
- Lester Kiewit, host - Good Morning Cape Town
ALSO READ: SASSA suspends multiple accounts amid rise in fraud cases
Scroll up to the audio player to listen.