South Africa begins biometric IDV for grant benefits May 5

South Africa’s social security agency (SASSA) has introduced changes to ID verification for some categories of social grant beneficiaries expected to take effect from May 5.

From that date onwards, all beneficiaries who use methods of ID verification for social benefits other than the 13-digit national ID must mandatorily undergo biometric enrollment and verification before having access to grants, the agency said in an announcement.

SASSA says this mandatory move, which also includes beneficiaries who are making changes to their personal information such as phone number, is part of its efforts to streamline the grants delivery process and how clients have access to it. This procedure is also meant for people who receive benefits on behalf of others.

In order to ensure the efficient implementation of the new directive, SASSA says its IT teams have been working to train “super users”, who will in turn, build the capacity of staff in regional officers on how to properly conduct the biometric enrollment and verification of beneficiaries.

This process, unfolding in collaboration with the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), according to SASSA, is to make sure its teams are ready for the transition to the new biometric verification obligation.

A spokesperson of the agency, Paseka Letsatsi, is quoted as saying: “This initiative, which aligns with Regulation 13 (1) of the Social Assistance Act, is a proactive measure aimed at enhancing security, improving the integrity of our systems, and preventing potentially fraudulent activities related to identity misrepresentation.”

SASSA insist that this new measure is in line with its broader objectives of safeguarding the integrity of the government grants scheme and to ensure that only deserving persons have access to grant benefits.

In the past, there have been reports of irregularities plaguing the grants scheme, with instances of fraudsters using the IDs of dead persons to collect benefits. SASSA says it has paid about 140 billion rand (around US$7.4 billion) in social benefits to over 75,000 deceased persons, as reported by GroundUp.

The mandatory biometric verification measure comes as SASSA unveiled its grants payment calendar for the 2025/2026 cycle over the weekend. The schedule shows beneficiaries will have their payments for three days each month, and the elderly and physical challenges will be given priority. Authorities say the programming has been done to streamline the process and avoid people queuing up for long hours.

Last month, the South African government announced an upgrade to its national biometric verification system to enable smoother access to essential public services. Earlier that month, SASSA also said it was going to tighten its ID verification rules in the wake of growing fraud.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  fraud prevention  |  identity verification  |  KYC  |  social security  |  South Africa