160 guilty of grant fraud in East Cape

22 November 2005

Patrick Cull

SOME 160 people in the Eastern Cape have been convicted of social grant fraud, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya has told the National Assembly.

Only nine people in the Western Cape had been found guilty of receiving grants illegally.

Replying to a written question from Lewis Nzimande (ANC), the minister said it was estimated that nationally R400-million had been saved as a result of the 86 000 applications for indemnity, assuming that the grant would have been active for the rest of the year.

A review of more than 200 000 temporary disability grants that should have lapsed earlier would bring about an estimated saving of more than R200-million, while completed investigations into more than 600 beneficiaries who had been suspended, had resulted in a saving of R 1,1-million.

Further, the acknowledgement of debt by more than 2 000 beneficiaries would help recover more than R4,3-million.

With regard to convictions in other parts of the country, Skweyiya said 45 people had been found guilty of receiving grants illegally in the North West Province and 51 in KwaZulu Natal. In addition, more than 350 cases from the other provinces had been referred to different courts for prosecution.

Replying to a question the minister said that while his department was on course to reach the overall target of 3,2 million children receiving the child support grant by March next year, there were “challenges” in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and North West Province.

To date, Skweyiya said, his department had registered 2,8 million children or 91 per cent of the target and “should reach the overall target before the end of the financial year”.

He acknowledged that the department had “not made sufficient progress in the provinces of the Eastern Cape and North West”.

The minister said that in the meantime the department continued “to implement several steps to ensure that we reach all the eligible children”, including:

Public awareness campaigns with specific focus on areas in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and North West Province.

Collaboration and strategic partnerships with the departments of home affairs, education and justice and constitutional development, health, the South African police service and local government structures.

On-going partnerships with civil society to reach eligible children.

Source: The Herald

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