SASSA CEO Themba Matlou addresses Parliament on the agency's efforts to combat corruption and enhance accountability.
Image: GCIS
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has fired 43 officials implicated in fraud, theft, corruption and serious maladministration as the agency intensifies a sweeping internal crackdown aimed at cleaning up South Africa’s embattled social grants system.
The dismissals, confirmed during a tense appearance before Parliament on Wednesday, expose the growing scale of alleged corruption within an institution responsible for distributing billions of rand to the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
The Department of Social Development, together with SASSA and the National Development Agency, appeared before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations to account for budget allocations and outline urgent governance reforms designed to protect public funds and restore public trust.
Addressing MPs, SASSA CEO Themba Matlou said the dismissals followed internal disciplinary hearings during the 2025/2026 financial year and formed part of an aggressive campaign to purge corrupt officials from the agency.
Matlou said SASSA was tightening accountability measures and strengthening its anti fraud systems as pressure mounts over repeated allegations of corruption, maladministration and abuse within the social grants network.
“This is a resounding success for us as an Agency as we continue to root out bad apples that are tainting our social grants system and bringing the good name of SASSA into disrepute through their misconduct. We are doing our best to further strengthen the implementation of our Fraud Prevention Strategy to restore and enhance the integrity of our social grant system,” Matlou said.
He confirmed that the dismissed officials are also facing criminal scrutiny, with several cases already before the courts.
According to Matlou, the disciplinary outcomes are being reinforced by ongoing cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
“There are still 65 outstanding cases to be finalised by the Agency's Labour Relations Unit, and that more officials may face disciplinary action in order to send a strong message to anyone tempted to engage in corrupt activities,” he added.
The agency said the outcomes were driven by its internal Fraud Management and Compliance Department, which has been tasked with strengthening detection systems and investigating misconduct across its operations.
Acting Minister of Social Development Sindisiwe Chikunga also briefed the committee, pledging tighter oversight across the social development portfolio and stronger safeguards against financial mismanagement.
The department outlined a series of governance interventions, including strengthened internal controls and procurement oversight, enhanced audit and reporting systems, regular expenditure monitoring and compliance checks, improved consequence management processes, and ongoing fraud awareness and ethics training.
SASSA also presented its digital modernisation programme to Parliament, which includes plans for a mobile application, offline functionality, a single-user interface system, cybersecurity upgrades and threat intelligence capacity.
The agency further outlined the rollout of online grant applications, self-service kiosks at local offices, and expanded Wi-Fi and network infrastructure.
As SASSA marks its 20th anniversary since its establishment in 2006, Matlou said the organisation remains committed to restoring public confidence while improving service delivery nationwide.
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