Sassa fraud presentation is just the start of a deep investigation – Parliament
Last month, two Stellenbosch University students uncovered massive flaws and fraud in the Sassa grant system.
A South African Social Security Agency office in Pretoria. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/Eyewitness News
Pippa Hudson speaks with Bridget Masango, Parliament's Social Development Committee Chairperson.
Listen below.
First-year computer science students at Stellenbosch University discovered thousands of fraudulent Sassa grant applications, specifically for the Social Relief of Distress grant.
They even found applications made with their ID numbers and those of their friends, despite none of them applying for the grant.
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Their investigation was published by GroundUp and the students were called to present their findings to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development.
The Department of Social Development was given one month to investigate the findings and had to report back on 27 November.
Masango says that the one-month deadline was not long enough and not all the questions have been answered.
However, she says the presentation did expose several weaknesses and offered recommendations.
“The presentation that we got yesterday was, to us, a start, not the end, of a much longer and deeper investigation into the system of the agency.”
- Bridget Masango, Chairperson - Parliament's Social Development Committee
She adds that they will update South Africans on what is happening once they have worked out everything that needs to be done.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.