SASSA plans to introduce voice recognition systems

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) said that it plans to expand its security features beyond fingerprint and facial recognition systems.

Last September, the agency introduced a mandatory biometric system at all offices nationwide to combat fraud and verify the authenticity of recipients.

The move followed significant challenges with SASSA payments, including widespread fraud, identity theft, and technical glitches.

SASSA’s Executive Manager for Grant Administration, Brenton Van Vrede said the agency is now looking to incorporate voice recognition as part of its efforts to modernise its systems.

"Because what we want to do is to create a trust centre where we capture all your biometrics. Noting there is no organisation that has every single biometric of every single person so that still has to be built. Home Affairs remains our foundational database for fingerprints and facials. So home affairs will ultimately, once everyone has replaced their green ID's and got smart ID's, the authoritative source on face and fingerprints."