South Africa: Grant recipients left in limbo as fraud management system proves fraught with danger

New barriers in the Social Relief of Distress grant system have prevented people from receiving the grants to which they are entitled.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) says the changes are to prevent fraud, but has provided no evidence of systematic fraud. In fact, the grant is only reaching about half of those eligible, suggesting that more people are being excluded in error than are being included.

Late in June, only a week before payment dates, many beneficiaries of…