New grants agency to start paying this week

29 March 2006

Wyndham Hartley

CAPE TOWN — The new Social Security Agency will for the first time this week pay social grants to beneficiaries in three provinces, says Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya.
The department created the agency to distribute social grants after massive fraud was uncovered. Skweyiya said the first phase was on track for completion by Friday.
“The agency will initially take over in Gauteng, Western Cape, and Northern Cape — with the process completed in the remaining provinces in March 2007.
“We have already entered into contractual agreements with provinces to ensure the seamless transfer of staff and the uninterrupted provision of service.”
He said his department’s massive effort to weed out fraud was continuing, with the Special Investigating Unit already looking into 35000 cases.
Introducing his budget vote in Parliament yesterday, Skweyiya said the unit had removed more than 130000 fraudulent grant recipients from the grants register, and saved SA about R4,5bn.
As a result, the department has allocated a further R47m this year to fund the unit’s battle against fraud.
The minister said he was confident that the agency would improve efficiency and enhance the quality of life of pensioners, the disabled and children.
“In order to enhance the integrity of our systems, we are focusing our efforts on the establishment of key oversight institutions such as the social security inspectorate and on the development of effective monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment systems.”
He said government’s antifraud campaign had over the past year saved the state more than R400m and the National Prosecuting Authority had prosecuted about 500 of 12000 civil servants alleged to be either involved in graft or defrauding the system.
Democratic Alliance MP Mike Waters said those found guilty should be compelled to repay all they had stolen, pay an extra fine and, in extreme cases, be sent to prison.
He also bemoaned the chronic shortage of social workers in the country, saying the problem was getting worse with only 50% of more than 4731 posts filled.

Source: Business Day

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