Europe Is Spending Billions on Deporting Migrants. Why the Strategy Isn’t Working
The European Union has used money and enforcement infrastructure as the twin pillars of its migrant returns strategy. The evidence suggests it isn’t working.
Biometric
New SASSA System Piloted in Bellville Office
The agency’s plans to improve service by using technology
Two Insurance Giants Dominate SASSA Funeral Deductions
Clientèle Life, Sanlam and their subsidiaries collect R143-million every month for funeral policies directly from SASSA pension and disability grants
Most Social Grant Fraud Involves Officials, Not Beneficiaries, Report Says
The Institute for Economic Justice says 75% of reported fraud cases have involved government employees, contractors or officials
Activists Criticise Social Grant “Savings”
The Universal Basic Income Coalition says tighter controls risk excluding eligible beneficiaries
Budget 2026: Social Grants to Go up in April
Increases are slightly more than inflation
Damning Probe Into Home Affairs Names “Prophet” Bushiri
Corrupt officials made millions selling permanent residency permits
SASSA Suspends 70,000 Grant Payments in Crackdown
Close to 400,000 beneficiaries notified their social grants are under review as oversight tightens
Basic Income Grant Policy Will Take at Least Another Year
Revised policy will be sent to Cabinet in March 2027
Nigeria’s Open Borders Promised More Trade and Free Movement: But Crossings Are Chaotic and Corrupt
Nigeria’s open borders promise trade but deliver exploitation.
SASSA Expects to Save R341-Million by Tightening Screenings
Treasury has added new conditions to improve the monitoring of grants
Families Face Homelessness as DCI Threatens 16:00 Lockouts
The clock is ticking for residents of the Goodwood Social Housing complex as more eviction notices are issued, threatening to cut off access to their homes by 16:00 today.
The post CAPE TOWN: FAMILIES FACE HOMELESSNESS AS DCI THREATENS 16:00 LOCKOUTS appeared first on For Good.
DCI Community Housing Services Must Stop Pricing Out Low-Income Tenants and Using Social Housing as a Cash Cow
The GOOD Party, a member of Unite for Change, is appalled by reports from tenants at the Goodwood Social Housing complex who are being threatened with illegal evictions and lease cancellations.
The post CAPE TOWN: DCI COMMUNITY HOUSING SERVICES MUST STOP PRICING OUT LOW-INCOME TENANTS AND USING SOCIAL HOUSING AS A CASH COW appeared first on For Good.
SASSA Assures Parliament Grants Will Be Paid When Postbank Contract Ends
The service agreement between SASSA and Postbank ends on 30 September
SASSA to Bring in Biometrics for All Social Grant Applications From September
The plan is to curb fraud and speed up processes
Here is What SASSA is Doing to Fix the Delays in Grant Payments
Steps taken to improve service as the agency ramps up its review on beneficiaries suspected of having undisclosed incomes
MPs Not Impressed With New SASSA Verification Process
Treasury may withhold funds if SASSA does not meet its conditions
Social Grants Go Unpaid as Beneficiaries Struggle With SASSA’s System
Activists say they get dozens of complaints weekly about the online verification process
210,000 Social Grant Beneficiaries Flagged for Not Disclosing Income
They will not receive payments until they verify their income with SASSA
Treasury’s Punitive Social Grant Conditions an Attack on the Poor
GOOD Statement by Brett Herron ,GOOD Secretary-General 26 May 2025 The GOOD Party is deeply concerned by the National Treasury’s imposition of punitive and exclusionary conditions on the 2025/26 operating budget of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). These conditions effectively extend the flawed administrative procedures of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant […]
The post TREASURY’S PUNITIVE SOCIAL GRANT CONDITIONS AN ATTACK ON THE POOR appeared first on For Good.
Better collaboration aids in deportation of illegal immigrants
Better collaboration aids in deportation of illegal immigrants
Improved collaboration between stakeholders, among others, has led to the increased deportation of illegal immigrants in the 2024/25 financial year that ended on 31 March 2025, the Department of Home Affairs said.
“The Department of Home Affairs increased the number of illegal immigrants it deported to 46 898 in the 2024/25 financial year that ended on 31 March 2025,” said the department, adding that the figure has risen by 18 % compared to the previous year’s 39 672.
“This marked increase in the effectiveness of enforcement operations demonstrates our commitment to upholding the rule of law. It also flows from improved collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local law enforcement. It further reflects the impact of joint initiatives like Operation Vala Umgodi,” Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the department, “this is the highest number of deportations carried out in at least five years.”
Last month, the department announced a comprehensive upgrade to its digital verification system, a crucial component of national security, as well as both public and private sector services in South Africa.
The verification system enables government departments, including National Treasury and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as well as financial sector businesses, to confirm client identities using biometric features, such as fingerprints and facial recognition, against the National Population Register.
READ | Home Affairs upgrades digital verification system
“This improved performance, coupled with our digital transformation reforms that will automate entry-and-exit to prevent people from entering the country illegally through our ports of entry, is contributing to enhanced national security and trade facilitation,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Thu, 04/03/2025 - 09:40
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Home Affairs upgrades digital verification system
Home Affairs upgrades digital verification system
The Department of Home Affairs has announced a comprehensive upgrade to its digital verification system, a crucial component of national security, as well as both public and private sector services in South Africa.
The verification system enables government departments, including National Treasury and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as well as financial sector businesses, to confirm client identities using biometric features, such as fingerprints and facial recognition, against the National Population Register.
In recent years, the system has, however, been plagued by inefficiencies, with users reporting a failure rate of up to 50% on these verification “hits” against the National Population Register. It also routinely took up to 24 hours for the system to respond, and when responses did arrive, they often contained errors that required manual verification.
The Department of Home Affairs has, over the past few months, worked to resolve these errors.
Testing has confirmed that the upgraded system is not only capable of dramatically faster performance, but that it now delivers an error rate of well below 1%.
The department is ready to roll out access to the upgraded verification service to all its valued clients across the public and private sectors.
As part of ensuring the ongoing maintenance of this vastly improved system and after obtaining concurrence from the Minister of Finance, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has gazetted a new set of fees associated with the use of this verification service.
In order to better fund the maintenance of the National Population Register, fees for the use of the Home Affairs digital verification service by private sector companies will increase for the first time in over a decade, with effect from 1 April 2025.
However, public sector users of the service, including numerous government departments and agencies, will be unaffected by the increase, as government users remain exempted from fees.
This approach, according to the Department of Home Affairs, enables the department to balance the need to invest in the National Population Register, while not negatively affecting public finances.
“The rollout of a reliable, efficient and secure verification service supports both the public and private sectors to improve service delivery.
“This marks the most significant upgrade to the Home Affairs verification service since it was launched and will dramatically reduce waiting times whenever a client needs to verify their identity with the Department to obtain a social grant or open a bank account. The upgrade is also of immense importance to supporting private sector economic growth,” Minister Schreiber said.
“When this vital Home Affairs system is down, slow, or littered with errors, it negatively impacts upon the ability of banks, insurance companies and other financial service providers to verify clients and conduct business.
“This investment in our population register is not only overdue, but also important for delivering on the vision for digital ID, as outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address, as a secure and efficient population register forms the cornerstone of digital ID.
“The launch of the reformed verification system is further proof of the progress that Home Affairs is making on our journey of digital transformation to deliver dignity for all,” Schreiber said. – SAnews.gov.za
Edwin
Mon, 03/24/2025 - 14:04
317 views
SASSA’s Plans to Shorten Queues and Improve Grant Payment System
About 1.4-million people still need to replace their SASSA cards before the deadline on Thursday
Social grants set to increase in April
Social grants set to increase in April
All social grants, barring the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, are expected to increase from April this year.
Delivering the 2025 Budget Speech in Parliament on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the number of social grant beneficiaries – excluding those receiving the SRD grant – is expected to rise to some 19 million in 2025/26 and 19.3 million in 2027/28 due to a growing population of older persons.
Godongwana said for 2025/26, social grants will be allocated some RR284.7 billion.
“As announced by the President in the State of the Nation Address, the SRD will be used as a basis for the introduction of a sustainable form of income support for unemployed people.
“The future form and nature of the SRD will be informed by the outcome of the review of active labour market programmes. This is expected to be completed by September 2025.
“The truth is that ours is one of the most comprehensive social safety nets among emerging economies. This reflects our commitment to addressing poverty and inequality, while keeping our spending sustainable,” he said.
The grant increases this year include:
- Old age grant will increase from R2185 to R2315
- War veterans grant will increase from R2205 to R2335
- Disability grant will go up from R2185 to R2315
- Foster care grant rises from R1180 to R1250
- Care dependency grant will increase from R2185 to R2315
- Child support grant will go up from R530 to R560
- The grant-in-aid will increase from R530 to R560
In the Budget Review, National Treasury said the budget for social grants is “increased by R8.2 billion over the medium term to account for higher costs of living”.
“An amount of R35.2 billion is allocated to extend the payment at the current [SRD] R370 per month per beneficiary, including administration costs,” the department said.
The Department of Social Development, which administers social grants, has been allocated R422.3 billion in 2025/26, which is expected to increase to R452.7 billion in 2027/28, at an average annual growth rate of 4.5%.
“This funding supports poverty reduction through social grants, the provision of risk benefits through social insurance and the delivery of welfare services, development initiatives, empowerment programmes, gender equality initiatives and advocacy for children, women, youth, the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
“Social grant spending makes up 81 percent of the allocation for this function. At an average annual growth rate of 5.3 percent, social protection spending increases above inflation over the medium term; however, social grant reform and efficiency savings will be necessary to ensure the sustainability of the social security system.
“[The] sector’s operational budget will be subject to conditions, including the need to improve biometric verification of recipients to achieve savings,” the National Treasury said. – SAnews.gov.za
NeoB
Wed, 03/12/2025 - 13:57
1791 views