For a soundbite of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Ms Bridget Masango, click on this link: https://iono.fm/e/1607502
Parliament, Tuesday, 14 October 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has noted with appreciation and welcomed progress made by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) regional office of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in its efforts to modernise service delivery through the implementation of a digital income verification process and the biometric registration of social grant beneficiaries.
The committee commenced its week-long oversight visit to the province today with a briefing from SASSA officials at the Ilembe District Municipality offices. During the engagement, SASSA KZN’s Regional Manager, Ms Thamo Mzobe, reported that the Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment (BBE) system had been fully implemented as of 1 September 2025. She told the committee that all 82 local offices in the region have been capacitated, with 901 officials trained to operate the system.
She said of these, 748 officials have already been migrated to the BBE platform, and biometric fingerprint scanners have been issued to every office to enhance the security and efficiency of grant beneficiary registration.
Ms Mzobe also provided an update on the ongoing income verification process. The committee heard that 38 dedicated officials have been deployed at the Records Management Centre to oversee the review of identified cases. The region is currently reviewing 184,828 cases, including those flagged by credit bureaus for economic activity during grant receipt, as well as cases involving multiple bank accounts or duplicate identity document numbers.
To date, 77,287 reviews have been completed - representing 77 percent completion rate. The remaining 107,541 cases are under active review, with finalisation targeted by the end of the current financial year.
The Portfolio committee commended the regional office for the significant strides made and urged SASSA to continue addressing the remaining challenges with urgency. The committee highlighted the importance of these digital systems in boosting the integrity and improving the efficiency of the country’s social assistance framework.
As part of its oversight visit, the committee also conducted a site inspection at the SASSA local office in Stanger, where it engaged with front-line staff and observed daily operations. The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Bridget Masango, expressed appreciation for the detailed presentations and candid discussions with officials.
“The engagement opened our eyes to the legal and regulatory framework that enables the work of government to happen. We can really see the progress and can imagine what more is possible,” said Ms Masango.
The committee will tomorrow host a public engagement meeting at the Lindiwe Tshabalala Hall in Emandeni at 10:00 AM. The session will serve as a platform for affected communities and key stakeholders to share their experiences and raise concerns relating to social assistance services in the province. Participants expected to attend include older persons, people with disabilities, caregivers of children receiving grants, youth, local traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, and civil society groups.
Details of the programme are as follows:
Wednesday, 15 October 2025
Venue: Lindiwe Tshabalala Hall, Mandeni
10:00 – 13:30 Meeting with stakeholders at Lindiwe Tshabalala Hall
13:30 – 14:30: LUNCH
14:30 – 14:00: Travel to Mandeni SASSA Local Office
14:30 – 13:30 Meeting and site visit at Mandeni SASSA Local Office
Thursday, 16 October 2025
Venue: NDA offices, Marine Drive, Durban
09:30 – 09:45 Opening Remarks by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development Chairperson, Hon BS Masango
09:45 – 10:20 Briefing by KZN NDA regional office to receive an overall presentation on the work of the NDA in the province
10:20 – 11:20: Committee deliberations and responses
11:20 – 13:00 Travel to Qalekhaya Shining Star Cooperative (150kms)
13:00 – 13:45: Lunch
13:45 – 15:30 Site visit at Qalekhaya Shining Star Cooperative
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES. ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS BRIDGET MASANGO.
To confirm attendance for the activities listed above and for media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malentsoe Magwagwa (Ms)
Cell: 081 716 5824
Email: mmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za
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