The Social Security Agency of South Africa (Sassa) has uncovered 4,000 fraudulent beneficiaries, Eyewitness News (EWN) reported. The agency says the fraud was uncovered before the payments could be made during the last payment cycle.
The fraudulent beneficiaries are based mainly in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The fraud was reportedly picked up when attempts were made to manipulate the files of existing grant recipients. The fraudsters are reportedly trying to increase the value of grants to genuine grant recipients.
Sassa spokesperson Kgomoco Diseko told Daily Maverick that the agency immediately informed the Reserve Bank, which was asked to assist with recalling their payment.
She reportedly said each transaction would be investigated but stressed that this had nothing to do with Sassa switching over its payment system from its current service provider, Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to the South African Post Office (Sapo).
Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association (PSA) has reportedly called off its planned strike after a meeting with social development minister, Susan Shabangu. According to Fin24, strikes were planned in all major cities starting on Monday, after most unions signed a three-year wage deal heavily opposed by the PSA.
The PSA is reportedly the majority union at Sassa, representing 5,000 of the 7,000 employees.