SASSA reviewing grants: What pensioners need to look out for

702’s Bongani Bingwa speaks with Brenton van Vrede, Executive Manager for Grants Administration at the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

Listen below:

Sassa is pushing social grant recipients to be transparent about any extra income they receive, so the agency can fairly assess who qualifies for a full grant.

Grant recipients who have had their accounts flagged for additional income will be called in for a review process to explain.

The agency says that it is not about the amount of money in the recipient’s bank account but rather how consistently they are receiving additional income.

Van Vrede says additional income would be money such as a salary, money from rentals, or formal maintenance.

South Africans over 60 with an income of more than R8,990 per month do not qualify for the grant.

If a pensioner is receiving some money from a relative without a formal maintenance agreement, that will not be considered additional income.

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However, if a parent is leaving their child with their grandparents and gives the grandparent a child support grant, that will be considered additional income.

Van Vrede says that in some cases, grant recipients may not have updated their contact details and will then miss the notifications that their account is under review.

In these cases, their grant payment date will be moved later in the month to signal that there is a problem that necessitates a visit to a Sassa office.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.