Sassa’s new biometric system leaves many SRD beneficiaries empty-handed

Beneficiaries of the R370/month social relief of distress (SRD) grant are still battling to complete the identity verification process, leaving them unable to access their grant.

The process, meant to safeguard against identity fraud, has become a stumbling block for many grant recipients.

In 2024 the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) has required beneficiaries who change their mobile numbers to undergo biometric ID verification. Recently, this requirement has expanded to include beneficiaries suspected of committing identity theft or of being victims of identity theft. This new layer of verification is intended to protect against fraud.

Those who want to change their mobile number or who have been identified by Sassa as needing verification must contact Sassa and request identity verification. They will be sent an SMS link to an internet page. They must take a photo of their face and send it back. They will then be told if the process was successful or not.

The system is designed to confirm their identity, but many beneficiaries are reporting problems.

Elizabeth Raiters, deputy director of PayTheGrants campaign, said the organisation was still inundated with calls from people battling to access their grants. GroundUp has also received complaints from SRD grant beneficiaries who say they never received the verification link they asked for.

Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi acknowledged the issues. “In instances when the verification function received from the department of home affairs is not available, clients will not receive the link for facial recognition,” he said. In that case, beneficiaries “must request the link again later when the department of home affairs service used by Sassa for verification is restored.”

Sassa previously told GroundUp that it was not essential to have a smart ID, but grant recipients with the old green ID book “have a higher chance of unsuccessful verification when doing the facial biometrics”. This is due to the poorer quality of photos in the green book.

Letsatsi said if the biometric test failed, beneficiaries would have to get a new ID that included advanced biometric features.

The number of SRD grant beneficiaries varies between 7.5-million and 8.5-million, as recipients are subjected to monthly means tests. Letsatsi said that 100,583 beneficiaries had successfully completed the facial biometric process.

To address the widespread difficulties, Sassa launched a pilot programme earlier in July in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro. This allows beneficiaries without smartphones to use webcams at local Sassa offices to complete their verification.

Letsatsi said the pilot programme helped more than 170 clients across four offices in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, and Sassa planned to expand this service to other provinces.

Raiters said she and the rest of the PayTheGrants team had worked “endlessly” to assist beneficiaries struggling to access their money due to the ID verification process. “I did an interview recently with the SABC and I gave my cell number so that beneficiaries can WhatsApp their cellphone and ID numbers to me and I will forward it to my contact at Sassa.... Since then, my phone has been going off non-stop with beneficiaries asking for help,” she said.

Some beneficiaries who contacted Raiters said they had waited for more than six weeks to receive their SMSes with the link to verify their identity. “The people who have green ID books are not receiving the link,” said Raiters.

“I’ve been working non-stop with beneficiaries queuing outside my gate. Last week, a beneficiary woke me up at 7am screaming at my gate,” said Raiters.

“If there’s no local home affairs office in your area, you need to pay to get transport there. You also need to book an appointment to get an ID, but the bookings are full,” she said. Raiters has assisted beneficiaries to book appointments to get their ID cards, but the first available dates are from August 28. “How must these beneficiaries survive?” she asked.

GroundUp