CAPE TOWN, Tuesday 6 October 2026 — Parliament’s social development committee has raised concerns over continuing financial leakages in South Africa’s social grant system after the Auditor-General found weaknesses allowing payments to people who had died and others employed by government.
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development said on Tuesday that weaknesses in the South African Social Security Agency payment system raised questions about whether existing verification controls were adequately preventing grants from reaching people who were no longer eligible.
The findings formed part of the Auditor-General of South Africa’s assessment of the Department of Social Development and its entities for the 2025/26 financial year.
The department received a qualified audit opinion.
Committee chairperson Bridget Masango said the audit outcome could not be regarded as business as usual, particularly given the department’s responsibility for administering social protection programmes and protecting public money.
The committee said payments to deceased beneficiaries and government employees demonstrated continuing weaknesses in the controls used to verify whether grant recipients remained eligible.
It called for urgent corrective action by both SASSA and the Department of Social Development.
Committee demands stronger verification controls
South Africa’s social grant system distributes public money to millions of beneficiaries through programmes including old-age, disability and child-support grants.
Eligibility requirements vary between grants, but the payment system relies on government information and verification mechanisms to identify beneficiaries who qualify for assistance.
The committee said weaknesses identified by the Auditor-General meant public funds remained exposed to improper payments.
It wants SASSA and the department to strengthen verification and internal controls and implement corrective measures arising from the audit findings.
The parliamentary findings do not establish that every payment made to a government employee was fraudulent.
Eligibility can depend on the grant concerned, the recipient’s income and other statutory requirements.
The committee’s concern is that payments identified by the Auditor-General indicate weaknesses in the mechanisms intended to determine whether recipients continue to qualify.
Similarly, payments recorded after a beneficiary’s death may arise from weaknesses or delays in updating and reconciling government records rather than necessarily involving deliberate fraud.
Qualified audit increases pressure on department
The Department of Social Development’s qualified audit opinion increases parliamentary scrutiny of the administration responsible for one of government’s largest social-protection programmes.
A qualified audit opinion indicates that the Auditor-General identified material problems with particular aspects of the financial statements or underlying information, rather than rejecting the financial statements in their entirety.
Masango said losses caused by weaknesses in the payment system diverted money that could otherwise support vulnerable South Africans.
The committee said it expects the department and SASSA to implement the Auditor-General’s recommendations and strengthen controls designed to prevent payments to ineligible beneficiaries.
Parliament is expected to continue monitoring corrective measures through its oversight of the department and agency.
