Parliament revealed sweeping changes in SASSA’s biometric rollout, with over 997,000 beneficiaries verified and thousands of grants suspended as government tightens social grant controls and reduces fraud risks.
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)’s biometric verification drive has intensified efforts to clamp down on fraud in the social grant system, after Parliament was told that nearly one million beneficiaries have been processed since September 2025, while close to 68,000 grants were suspended under the rollout.
The developments come as the Department of Social Development confirmed a massive R302 billion allocation for the 2026/27 financial year, with R293 billion directed towards social grants as government continues to expand social protection amid rising living costs.
“The government has allocated R302 billion for the 2026/27 financial year,” Acting Social Development Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said during the Budget Vote presentation in the National Assembly, adding that the bulk of spending remains focused on direct support to vulnerable households.
The biometric rollout, which now spans SASSA’s 432 offices, forms part of a broader national effort to prevent identity fraud and ensure that only qualifying beneficiaries remain on the system. By March 2026, about one million new applications had already been processed through the system.
