It is doubtful whether it will be possible or financially viable to attempt to recover the R142m paid to deceased beneficiaries of social grants in the years 2021/22 and 2023/24, social development minister Lindiwe Zulu says.
Replying to a question by Good MP Brett Herron, Zulu said the grant overpayments by the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) were made to clients of state-owned Postbank.
“Considering that the above-mentioned grant overpayments were made to the most vulnerable members of society, Sassa’s ability to recover debt might be more expensive than the debt itself. However, I must point out that each debt, irrespective of the amount, remains ‘recoverable’ until it is written off,” Zulu said.
She said there were a number of questions and factors to be considered when dealing with deceased grant beneficiaries to whom a grant was paid before Sassa received a notice of death from home affairs.
These included if it would be economical to invest resources into recouping a one-month payment made to a deceased grant beneficiary; did the deceased have an estate and its size against the claim; and would recovery cause undue hardship to dependants?
Zulu said Sassa was not a registered creditor to any deceased estate. There was no system interface between Sassa and the office of the master of the high court.
“When death occurs, the majority of social grant beneficiaries’ families make no effort to wind up an estate with the office of the master of the high court or with the magistrate’s office as required by law. Therefore, if no ‘case file’ is created no-one can register as a creditor.”
The minister pointed out all debts were considered “recoverable” until the National Treasury approved their write-off.
Replying to a question by DA spokesperson on social development Bridget Masango on the same issue, Zulu noted recoveries of R10.8m in 2021/22, R17.9m in 2022/23 and R20m in 2023/24 had been made.
Public service & administration minister Noxolo Kiviet said in reply to another question by Masango that Sassa would approach departments about what consequence management had been applied to the 5,812 public servants who fraudulently received the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant.
Sassa had launched an investigation into the 33,833 other public servants who had fraudulently received other social grants.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.