For many elderly South Africans, payday should be a relief, but in 2025, a troubling pattern has emerged.
Older social-welfare recipients are discovering that portions of their SASSA grants are being deducted without their consent.
Shockingly, these deductions often go toward funeral policies the beneficiaries never agreed to.
With today (Tuesday 2 September 2025) marking the long-awaited payment day, the financial impact is significant.
Pensioners over 75 receive R2 330, while those aged 60-74 get R2 310.
Losing even R100 to R300 a month can severely affect seniors who have no other source of income.
Unauthorised Deductions and Predatory Funeral Policies
Reports from GroundUp highlight how some funeral policy providers have been exploiting elderly pensioners.
While SASSA is legally allowed to deduct for insurance policies under the Social Security Act, there are clear limits: deductions cannot exceed 10% of the total grant, and only one policy may be linked to a grant at a time.
Despite these rules, investigations revealed that multiple pensioners had been enrolled in funeral policies without their knowledge.
They had no paperwork or policy numbers, and once discovered, these policies were cancelled and refunded.
Agency Tightens Controls with Biometric Verification
SASSA has been moving to strengthen its procedures, especially from this month (September 2025).
Mandatory biometric enrolment is being rolled out, alongside stricter income tests for new applicants or those under review.
However, these unauthorised deductions are still slipping through the cracks.
Many affected pensioners are elderly, immobile, and illiterate, making it difficult for them to access ATMs or retail outlets independently.
Traveling to a SASSA office to report problems is often impossible.
Calls for Greater Protection
Civil society groups argue that more must be done to protect vulnerable pensioners.
The Social Pension (SocPen) system needs stronger safeguards, and the responsibility should not fall on seniors to report issues month after month.
To help, SASSA has published a guideline: if you suspect unauthorised deductions, you can send an SMS to 34548 with your ID number and the name of your financial service provider.
The agency will verify through its internal Qlink system whether any additional policies have been applied without your consent.
