What You Should Know About the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)

If you are not a citizen of South Africa, you might be wondering what the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is. The SASSA is the government agency that is responsible for administering social security benefits for all citizens of South Africa. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about the South African Social Security Agency including how it works, eligibility requirements, and how to apply if you meet their standards.

What is the SASSA?

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is an independent agency of the South African government that provides social security services to eligible citizens. The agency was established in 2001 and is responsible for the administration of social security programs, including the payment of social grants.

SASSA provides social security services to eligible citizens through a network of offices located across the country. The agency also offers a range of online services, including the ability to apply for and manage social grants online.

SASSA provides a range of social grants, including the old age pension, disability grant, care dependency grant, and foster care grant. The agency also administers the child support grant, which provides financial assistance to single parents or guardians who are raising children.

SASSA is committed to providing quality social security services to eligible citizens. The agency has a range of policies and procedures in place to ensure that social grants are paid promptly and accurately. SASSA also works closely with other government agencies and departments to ensure that social grant recipients receive the full range of benefits to which they are entitled.

How Does the SASSA Operate?

SASSA operates under the Social Assistance Act, which requires the agency to provide social assistance to eligible individuals who are unable to support themselves and their dependents. To be eligible for social assistance, an individual must meet certain criteria, such as being over the age of 18 and not being able to earn a sufficient income to support themselves.

Once an individual is determined to be eligible for social assistance, SASSA works with other government agencies and service providers to provide the necessary assistance. This can include providing financial assistance through social grants, as well as linking individuals to other services such as healthcare and housing.

SASSA is constantly working to improve its services and make sure that social assistance is available to those who need it. In recent years, SASSA has made a number of changes to its operations, such as introducing new technology to make it easier for eligible individuals to apply for and receive social grants.

Despite these improvements, there are still some challenges that SASSA faces. For example, due to the high levels of poverty and inequality in South Africa, there is a large number of people who are eligible for social assistance. This means that SASSA has to manage a large volume of applications and provide assistance to a large number of people.

Another challenge that SASSA faces is fraud and corruption. Unfortunately, there are some people who try to illegally obtain social grants by providing false information or

Who Can Receive Benefits from SASSA?

SASSA provides benefits to eligible individuals who are unemployed, disabled, or over the age of 60. In order to be eligible for benefits from SASSA, an individual must meet certain criteria. For example, they must be a South African citizen or permanent resident, and they must be in need of financial assistance.

Grant for Older Persons

The old age grant is one of the most important social grants for people over 60 years of age. This grant used to be called the old age pension.

It is paid to people who meet the following conditions:

• Must be a South African citizen / permanent resident;
• Must be resident in South Africa;
• Must be 60 years or older (male and female);
• and spouse must comply with the means test;
• Must not be maintained or cared for in a state institution; and
• Must not be in receipt of another social grant for him or herself.

Disability Grant

If you have a physical or mental disability which makes you unfit to work for a period of longer than six months, you can apply for a disability grant.

You get a permanent disability grant if your disability will continue for more than a year and a temporary disability grant if your disability will last for a continuous period of not less than six months and not more than 12 months. A permanent disability grant does not mean you will receive the grant for life, but that it will continue for longer than 12 months.

To qualify, you must:

• Must be a South African citizen / permanent resident or refugee;
• Must be resident in South Africa;
• Must be 18 to 59 years of age;
• Must submit a medical / assessment report confirming disability;
• Medical assessment must not be older than 3 months at date of application;
• and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test;
• Must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution;
• Must not be in receipt of another social grant in respect of him or herself.

War Veteran’s Grant

If you are a former soldier who fought in the Second World War (1939-1945) or the Korean War (1950-1953) and are unable to support yourself, you can apply for a war veteran’s grant.

The applicant:

• Must be a South African citizen / permanent resident
• Must be resident in South Africa;
• Must be 60 years and over or must be disabled;
• Must have fought in the Second World War or the Korean War;
• and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test;
• Must not be maintained or cared for in a State Institution; and
• Must not be in receipt of another Social grant in respect of himself or herself.

Care Dependency Grant

Get a grant to take care of a child who has a severe disability and is in need of full-time and special care.

The care dependency grant covers disabled children from birth until they turn 18.

• The application must be South African citizen or permanent resident;
• The applicant and child must be resident in South Africa;
• Age of child must be under 18 years;
• Must submit a medical / assessment report confirming permanent, severe  disability;
• Applicant and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test (except  for foster parents);
• The care-dependent child/children must not be permanently cared for in a State Institution.

Foster Child Grant

Get a grant to take care of your foster child. A foster child is a child who has been placed in your custody by a court as a result of being:

To qualify:

• The applicant and child must be resident in South Africa;
• Court order indicating foster care status;
• The foster parent must be a South African citizen, permanent resident or refugee;
• Child must remain in the care of the foster parent(s).

You can find more information on the Care Dependency Grant through this link.

Child Support Grant

If you are needy, you can get a grant to help you raise the child you look after.

To qualify you must meet the following conditions:

• The primary care giver must be a South African citizen or permanent resident;
• Both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa;
• Applicant must be the primary care giver of the child/ children concerned;
• The child/children must have been born after 31 December 1993;
• The applicant and spouse must meet the requirements of the means test;
• Cannot apply for more than six non biological children;
• Child cannot be cared for in state institution.

Grant-in-aid

If you are living on a social grant but can’t look after yourself, you can get an additional grant to pay the person who takes full-time care of you. 

To qualify you must meet the following conditions:

• The applicant must be in receipt of a grant for Older Persons;
• Disability grant or a War Veteran’s grant, and require full- time attendance by another person;
• Owing to his/her physical or mental disabilities;
• Must not be cared for in an institution that receives a subsidy from the State for the care/housing of such beneficiary.

Social Relief of Distress

Social relief of distress is a temporary provision of assistance intended for persons in such dire material need that they are unable to meet their or their families’ most basic needs. In order to qualify for Social Relief of Distress, the applicant must comply with one or more of the following conditions:

The applicant is awaiting permanent aid;

• The applicant has been found medically unfit to undertake remunerative work for a period of less than 6 months;
• The breadwinner is deceased and insufficient means are available;
• The applicant has been affected by a disaster, and the specific area has not yet been declared a disaster area; and the applicant has appealed against the suspension of his or her grant;
• The person is not a member of a household that is already receiving social assistance;
• The person is not receiving assistance from any other organization.