Please find attached a soundbite from Bridget Masango, the DA shadow Minister of Social Development.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is concerned about the escalating number of cases of fraud in the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). It is believed that a syndicate is involved in replicating SASSA cards and is stealing money meant for poor grant recipients.
The DA has received numerous complaints from grant recipients across the country, who for the past number of months have not received their social grants as their accounts were empty.
The DA is of the view that the absence of a biometric information system has created an environment in which fraudsters can rob the disadvantaged of their only source of income. Last year SASSA succumbed to union pressure and discontinued the use of biometric identification that was meant to combat widespread grant fraud.
Biometric testing is important because it not only protected SASSA from fraud, it also protected grant beneficiaries and saved the country’s coffers R2 billion by eliminating over one million fraudulent beneficiaries.
At the end of the day it is the millions of social grant recipients and their dependents who suffer as they are unable to access their much needed social grants.
It is unacceptable that poor South Africans have to bear the brunt for the ANC’s failures at SASSA.
Unlike the uncaring ANC, a DA led government will ensure that grant recipients receive the money they so desperately need. The May 8th vote is a vote for a caring DA government that will not put at risk the 17 million recipients who depend on social grants.