HOW the ANC’s ‘pro-poor’ policies have SASSA at breaking point

The sheer volume of South Africans receiving grants from the government has left SASSA at breaking point. As we reported last week, the ANC has already started electioneering in 2024, boasting about its ‘pro-poor’ policies, saying more people are part of its welfare state than any other African nation.

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Likewise, President Ramaphosa has said SASSA grants may disappear if the ANC is not reelected at the polls. However, we also know of the hypocrisy behind the ANC’s ‘pro-poor’ claims, because the stipends have barely kept pace with inflation in 30 years, since 1994. And yet, salaries for government officials have increased five-fold in only a decade.

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SASSA AT BREAKING POINT

Now, according to a GroundUp report, employees at the agency admit SASSA is at breaking point. SASSA’s Paseka Letsatsi told GroundUp that the South African Social Security Agency is battling under the high volume of Social Relief of Distress Grants.

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Especially in the fraud department, which has been inundated by complaints of stolen cellphone and identification numbers. R350 SRD grant beneficiaries vary anywhere between 7.5 and 8.5 million each month, and each is subject to a means test. It is a massive logistical undertaking that has left SASSA at breaking point. The agency plans to introduce facial-recognition software by 2025 in an attempt to sidestep these verification issues.

FASTEST GROWING GRANT IN HISTORY

Letsatsi calls the monthly SRD grant, “The fastest growing grant in the history of social assistance in South Africa.” This puts a massive burden on SASSA officials to administer it correctly and prevent fraud.

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However, beyond the workload that has SASSA at breaking point, economists say the country simply cannot afford the ANC’s welfare state any longer. As reported by Daily Investor, with 28-million people on social grants and just 7.1-million taxpayers, the discrepancy is too high to continue to support the grants sustainably.

SASSA IS UNSUSTAINABLE

With the current economy growing at a snail’s pace and the number of unemployed people increasing, desperate calls for the National Treasury to increase welfare spending in the 2024/2025 is simply unsustainable, say economists.

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Do you believe having four-times more grant recipients than taxpayers has left SASSA at breaking point? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.