Social grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger

The Institute for Economic Justice and the Universal Basic Income Coalition critique Sassa's implementation of biometric identity verification and algorithmic risk scoring for the Social Relief of Distress grant. They argue these measures exclude eligible recipients who lack smartphones, internet access, or smart ID cards, while raising concerns about data privacy and the lack of evidence for systematic fraud.

• Sassa has introduced a "referred status" for Social Relief of Distress grant beneficiaries, requiring them to complete a biometric identity verification process involving a high-quality photograph and facial recognition software to reactivate their grants.
• The biometric verification system creates significant barriers for the poorest recipients, who often lack the necessary smartphones, stable internet connections, and digital literacy required to navigate the online process.
• The fraud management system relies on an opaque "risk score" determined by an algorithm using data from industry stakeholders like banks, without transparency regarding how risk is calculated or what data is used.
• The biometric system discriminates against holders of green ID books because the facial recognition software often fails to match their old photos in the Home Affairs database, effectively forcing a costly migration to smart ID cards.
• The grant regulations allow for the sharing of beneficiary information with government and private institutions, raising concerns about the Protection of Personal Information Act and the risk of predatory practices by private companies.

APA

Dawson, K., Abrahams-Fayker, H., Megannon, V., & Moyo, A. (2024). Social grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/press-room/in-the-media/social-grant-recipients-left-in-limbo-as-fraud-management-system-proves-fraught-with-danger/

Chicago

Dawson, Kelle, Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker, Vayda Megannon, and Alfred Moyo. Social grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger. Institute for Economic Justice, 2024. https://iej.org.za/press-room/in-the-media/social-grant-recipients-left-in-limbo-as-fraud-management-system-proves-fraught-with-danger/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Dawson |first1=Kelle |last2=Abrahams-Fayker |first2=Hoodah |last3=Megannon |first3=Vayda |last4=Moyo |first4=Alfred |title=Social grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=30 July 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/in-the-media/social-grant-recipients-left-in-limbo-as-fraud-management-system-proves-fraught-with-danger/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{dawson2024social, author = {Dawson, Kelle and Abrahams-Fayker, Hoodah and Megannon, Vayda and Moyo, Alfred}, title = {{Social grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/in-the-media/social-grant-recipients-left-in-limbo-as-fraud-management-system-proves-fraught-with-danger/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }