Pretoria – Three more officials have been arrested in the South African Social Security Agency’s ongoing fight against fraud and corruption.
The officials, who are based at the KwaMhlanga local office in Mpumalanga, were arrested during a joint operation on Thursday for defrauding the agency of a total amount of R752 460.
The joint operation is between SASSA, the SA Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecution Authority.
The arrest of the officials follows a report by a member of the public on 8 January 2012, who informed the agency that two beneficiaries from Verena in Mpumalanga, were receiving fraudulent disability grants.
The information was verified through an internal investigation by the Fraud Management and Compliance Unit within SASSA. The investigation revealed that 55 fraudulent disability grants were being paid out after being captured on the social pension (SOCPEN) system.
The investigation further revealed that no physical application forms or files existed in respect of the 55 ‘beneficiaries’.
According to SASSA, the modus operandi of the fraudsters was that the ‘beneficiaries’ would collect the amounts of the disability grant at a pay point for the first six months and thereafter the touts or agents would collect on behalf of the said SASSA officials.
“The residential addresses linked to these ‘beneficiaries’ as captured on the system, are located in KwaMhlanga, Verena, Tweefontein and Moloto areas. The investigation further revealed 10 beneficiaries were actually residing in Gauteng, one in Limpopo and one in Northwest Regions,” SASSA said.
Responding to the arrest, CEO of SASSA Virginia Petersen said the agency will stop at nothing to ensure that it rooted out all forms of fraud and corruption within the social grant system.
“Every case of fraud in the system robs a deserving poor South African of a chance to improve their lives,” Petersen said. – SAnews.gov.za
