Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe declared that State Security and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) must be involved to address the widespread fraud in the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant program.
Tolashe revealed that the scale of the fraud is extensive, involving other departments such as Home Affairs due to the theft of citizens’ identity numbers.
Speaking to the Social Development Committee on Wednesday, the minister provided an update alongside independent investigators who examined allegations made by two first-year IT students.
A month-long investigation confirmed many of the students’ claims. While the investigators proposed measures to enhance security, Tolashe emphasised that resolving the issue requires collaboration with additional law enforcement agencies.
“This is not a very small thing. This is a huge thing. Hence we will have to [work] with SSA (State Security Agency) as well as SIU.”
Stanley Matshote, from the independent firm Masegare and Associates Incorporated, told the committee that security enhancements are crucial.
“So we recommend that SASSA [South African Social Security Agency) should implement biometric verification for a broader range of transactions at random intervals. This will improve fraud detection and capabilities and make it harder for fraudsters to bypass security measures,” Matshote explained.
Tolashe noted that the investigation is still in its early stages, and further inquiries will be conducted by the department to uncover the full extent of the fraud.
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