Minister forbids SASSA to reply as grants whistleblowers appear before Parliament
SASSA was told it would not be allowed to respond to the information provided by the two students who uncovered widespread SRD grant fraud.
A South African Social Security Agency office in Pretoria. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
Lester Kiewit speaks to Bridget Masango, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, about Sassa’s briefing on massive and costly flaws in their grant payment and application system.
Listen below.
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Fraud on a mind-boggling scale.
That's how the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development has described the discovery by two Stellenbosch University students of widespread SRD grant swindling.
Last week Bridget Masango told CapeTalk that Joel Cedras and Veer Gosai, who uncovered the fraud, had been asked to present their findings to Parliament.
SASSA was also summoned to explain how such widespread looting of the public purse had been possible.
When Cedras and Gosai had run approximately 300 000 ID numbers for people born in February 2005, they found a staggering 95% application rate.
Suspicious, they entered their details and, despite never having applied for the grant, found applications lodged under their ID numbers.
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"They detailed for us how easy it was for them to just find out how many people had already applications active in the system."
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Social Development
"It was a very concerning issue to imagine how much could have already left the coffers of government to people who are ineligable."
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Social Development
Masango says SASSA was told it would not be allowed to respond to the information provided by the students.
"The Minister didn't even allow SASSA to present their right of reply and said they have to go back and work on this."
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Social Development
"The AG has been very vocal about the payment of grants to ineligible people... and the actual controls that are not robust enough to make sure those who should get the grant get it, and those who should not, don't.
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Social Development
Moreover, as recently as two weeks ago, says Masango, the Auditor-General appeared before the committee to voice concerns about the level of oversight exercised by the Department.
"But also the continuing payment of this grant in particular to ineligible workers of the state."
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Portfolio Committee on Social Development
ALSO READ: Stellenbosch University students uncover massive SRD grant scam at SASSA
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