No changes for existing grants, confirms SASSA amid biometric rollout

Katlego Sekhu

SASSA has announced that biometric enrolment, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, will now be mandatory for all new social grant applicants.
The agency assures existing beneficiaries that their current grants will not be affected by the new requirement.
The move is aimed at tightening security, preventing fraud, and strengthening trust in the grant payment system.

At the beginning of this month, SASSA announced that biometric enrolment will now be mandatory for beneficiaries.

The move is intended to improve the integrity of the grant system by preventing fraud, duplicate payments, and the use of forged IDs. It will also ensure that beneficiaries are authentic and alive at the time of application, while strengthening audits, reducing errors, and boosting public trust.

This raised concerns among existing beneficiaries about whether their grants would be affected. Paseka Lesedi, spokesperson for SASSA, explained to Kaya 959 that current beneficiaries will not be impacted.

However, all new applications will require fingerprint enrolment or facial recognition through electronic Know Your Client (eKYC). Applications submitted without biometrics will be placed under review.

SASSA confirmed that the infrastructure is already in place nationwide, with staff training scheduled for August 2025. The agency has also stressed its responsibility to ensure grants are paid only to eligible recipients, pledging to take action against fraud by both officials and outsiders.