‘How do we know if it’s accurate’: South Africans demand clarity on SASSA means test

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SASSA grant recipients want to see exactly how the agency calculates their monthly payments, as stories of unexplained reductions.

0 SASSA Athlone office. Image: X/@OfficialSASSA South Africans are calling on SASSA to show older persons grant recipients exactly how it calculates their payments.

Thavan Moodley raised the question in the comments section of The South African’s Facebook page.

“Why can’t we be given the INPUT VALUES of the MEANS TEST? How do we know if it’s accurate, because some people get under R1800 (or less than R2400), but they don’t exceed the maximum assets?” Moodley wrote.

SASSA uses a means test to decide whether an applicant qualifies and how much they receive. The test considers income and assets, and for married couples it combines both spouses’ finances.

The full grant is R2 400 per month for those aged 60 and older. Applicants with incomes or assets above a set threshold receive a reduced amount.

Moodley’s concern is that recipients rarely see the figures SASSA uses. Without those input values, a pensioner cannot check whether an error caused the reduction.

Recipients do have the right to request written reasons for a decision, which should include the information SASSA relied on.

Other commenters described what inadequate grants mean in daily life.

Hazel Tw recounted a conversation with an elderly man: “It was sad, a pensioner about age 70 plus, told me that he doesn’t know where he will sleep this month, he didn’t have enough to pay his rent and was not sure if his son would have money to pay for him.”

Belinda Ratcliffe argued that grants lag behind rising prices: “Wow, those pensions have not kept up with cost of living or inflation.”

Grant recipients who believe SASSA miscalculated their payment can request a written breakdown at their nearest office or call 0800 60 10 11.

If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you.

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