Participants of Parliament criticise the company for R316-million in overpayments
- SASSA underspent R4-billion on SRD grants for the 2022/23 financial year due to a low uptake led to by its unusual approach test, primarily primarily based on the Auditor-Usual.
- The audit also printed that SASSA would now not non-public a course of to anecdote and tune grant enquiries received from the public.
- The Portfolio Committee on Social Construction criticised SASSA for irregular expenditures reported, including R316-million in overpayments to Money Paymaster Products and companies.
The Social Security Company of South Africa (SASSA) is below scrutiny after revelations that it had underspent by R4-billion on Social Aid of Injure (SRD) grants one day of the 2022/23 financial year.
On Wednesday, the Auditor-Usual presented these findings to the Portfolio Committee on Social Construction in Parliament.
Auditor-Usual senior audit manager Puleng Molapo mentioned the principle motive for the underspending became once a low uptake of the SRD grant (beforehand often known as the “R350 grant”). This became once thanks to a peculiar approach test performed by SASSA.
“This resulted in SASSA not paying some beneficiaries because they were no longer eligible – due to the lower income threshold and bank verification of their income,” Molapo explained.
Molapo also spoke to concerns over SASSA’s carrier supply and its handling of grant enquiries. He mentioned the company lacked a sturdy machine to anecdote and tune these enquiries, main to inefficiencies.
“SASSA doesn’t have a process to report and track grant enquiries received from the public, with the result that they cannot accurately report resolved and unresolved cases,” he mentioned.
This shortcoming has had a detrimental influence on carrier supply and contributed to public dissatisfaction, he mentioned.
“If I am a beneficiary and have an enquiry about an issue with my grant, someone should tend to it within ten days,” Molapo mentioned. He also pointed out that “not everyone has access to a SASSA office”.
The audit anecdote printed that over the final 5 years, SASSA and the Division of Social Construction (DSD) were implicated in a pair of enviornment materials irregularities. Out of six known irregularities, 5 were attributed to SASSA and one to the DSD.
“Most of the irregularities at SASSA relate to the payment of social grants,” mentioned Molapo.
Explicit points integrated R74-million paid for companies now not rendered, SRD grant funds to ineligible candidates, and overpayments amounting to R316-million to Money Paymaster Products and companies (CPS).
CPS is present process liquidation, which Molapo mentioned might perchance well even non-public an influence on its ability to reimburse the funds.
Molapo also printed that SASSA had known and withheld R145-million from alleged overpayments of SRD grants. “We found that there were people working for the government who had applied for and received the R350 grants,” he mentioned.
In addition, the audit uncovered that over R1-billion became once irregularly spent in the 2021/22 financial year, with R4-million written off, R561-million condoned, and R444-million unresolved. (Condoned approach the irregular expenditure became once examined and due to this truth popular as understandable expenditure.)
Molapo explained that a well-known fragment of this irregular expenditure became once being addressed through condonations and clearances in compliance with the Public Finance Administration Act Framework.
Portfolio committee sad with SASSA
Paulnita Marais (EFF) mentioned, “Every time it comes to taking accountability, they say ‘I’m just acting’. No one is taking accountability for what’s happening in SASSA. You can resign and nothing is going to happen to you. They get away with it.”
“Our people are suffering. People are sending me messages that their mother’s R370 is being paid to the wrong person. People have been struggling since last year to access their R370. We’ve been complaining to SASSA, but it seems like our complaints go through one ear and out the other,” she mentioned.
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Bridget Masango (DA) described the presentation as “depressing” and emphasised the human influence of economic mismanagement.
“At the back of every key unachieved target are starving people and stunted children,” Masango mentioned.
She wondered how R316 million might perchance be mismanaged no topic present oversight mechanisms and known as for stronger shatter result administration.
Tshilidzi Munya (ANC) instantaneous reopening resolved issues for added investigation. “Clearly there’s corruption in SASSA. There’s no internal control, and even if there are controls, they are being bypassed,” mentioned Munya.
He known as for an independent overview and better collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the Particular Investigating Unit to handle the points.
