The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has announced that it will implement the mandatory Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment in all its offices from 01 September.
The agency will revolutionise the administration of social grants and detect fraud and any potentially fraudulent activities in the SASSA’s grant system.
SASSA said this comes after a conclusion of successful discussions with organised labour on several issues, paving the way for a new age for SASSA in its resolve to administer a tight and credible grant system.
“Our plans were to commence with biometric enrolment at the beginning of the 2025/26 financial year, however, we hit a snag. But we have ironed out the issues that delayed our plans and all systems go for the implementation,” said SASSA CEO, Themba Matlou.
The Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment comes at an opportune time when the agency is ramping up its efforts to improve its systems, detect and effectively root out any fraudulent elements in social grant administration.
“Moreover, biometric enrolment is a strategic move to ensure every grant recipient is verifiably authentic and that SASSA’s systems are resilient against manipulation and error, especially in cases involving forged green Identity Documents that frontline staff cannot reliably detect,” read a statement from the agency.
In addition, the biometric enrolment will ensure significant reduction in fraudulent applications and duplicate payments, reliable verification of beneficiary authenticity and proof of life, reduction in inclusion errors, streamlined documentation processes, enhanced audit outcomes and stronger record integrity, and improved public trust in the Social Assistance Programme.
“Grant applications captured and approved from 1st September 2025 onwards will include biometric fingerprint enrolment or facial recognition through electronic Know Your Client (eKYC).
“Applications without biometric data will be immediately put into the review cycle, notifying the client of the need to capture biometrics as per the review processes,” added the statement.
SASSA has set up systems and infrastructure at all its offices across the country ahead of the implementation of the new system.
