By Anita Dangazele
- The woman says she gave up work to avoid losing her disability and child grants after Sassa asked her to come in for a review.
- Sassa is tightening its checks to find people who earn extra income while still collecting social grants through new systems linked to banks and government data.
A mother of four from Gqeberha says she had to make the hardest decision of her life – quitting her job to keep receiving her disability and child grants.
She told Scrolla.Africa that she had lived off her South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) disability grant and her children’s grants for many years.
She later found temporary work, but after receiving an SMS from Sassa asking her to visit their offices for a review, she said she became scared that her income would lead to her losing her grants.
“Some years ago, I got really sick. I had XDR TB and was on treatment for a long time. The doctors said I couldn’t work, so I got a permanent grant,” she said.
“After I recovered, I decided to work again because one cannot survive on a grant alone. Food is expensive, and my eldest son is going to initiation school this year, so I needed extra money.”
But when she saw news reports that Sassa was targeting people who earn money without declaring it, she began to panic.
“When I got the message from Sassa, I knew I was at risk of losing my grant. So I thought deeply and decided to quit my job,” she said.
The decision has left her struggling again.
“I was part of a stokvel to save money for my son’s umgidi in December, but I had to stop because I can’t afford it anymore,” she said.
Sassa has introduced stricter checks after the National Treasury ordered tighter rules, including tracking income through banks and other government systems.
