Over 40,000 SASSA Beneficiaries Complete Biometric Enrolment. Image: Sassa.
(The Post News) – The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has confirmed on Thursday that more than 42,000 clients have been enrolled at 432 local offices across the country since the launch of the Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment (BBE) rollout.
Sassa Chief Executive Officer, Themba Matlou, along with the Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, briefed the Portfolio Committee on Social Development on the recently introduced BBE on Wednesday. The agency has been implementing security measures on its systems to safeguard them from fraudulent applications.
Matlou emphasized that the number of people enrolled includes new applicants, people undergoing reviews, and those coming to Sassa offices to change their personal details. He commended the progress made to date, saying while it came with its own challenges, all the offices were capacitated, and the agency had prepared thoroughly for any eventuality.
“Challenges will always come when you implement a new system, but we are on top of our game, and we are doing proactive monitoring and analysis to ensure the optimal implementation that will stand the test of time.” He added that they consider their customers when implementing these new systems to ensure that they don’t cause them any inconvenience.
Matlou acknowledged that there were teething problems initially, but the daily monitoring and additional training of officials has come in handy. He said officials are gaining more knowledge and confidence as they continue to use the system.
Biometric enrolment is a strategic move to ensure every grant recipient is verifiably authentic and that Sassa’s systems are resilient against manipulation and error, especially in cases involving forged green Identity Documents that frontline staff cannot reliably detect.
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