Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Mondli Gungubele, has detailed a multi-million-Rand cybersecurity plan to curb the looting of SASSA grants in 2024, reports SA Government News Agency.
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Following suspicions that money was missing from SASSA grant funds in 2023, the South African Social Security Agency and Postbank moved ahead with cybersecurity upgrades. This was after independent investigations by auditing firm KPMG confirmed that approximately R90 million had been siphoned from state coffers.
LOOTING OF SASSA GRANTS IN 2024
It was this new IT system that led to the repeated ‘technical glitches’ that plagued SASSA grant recipients in 2023. More than 600 000 SASSA old-age grants were paid late throughout the year, creating much furore amongst SA’s neediest citizens.
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Government-run Postbank is contracted by government to distribute social grants to more than 18-million beneficiaries. Since Mbengashe told the parliamentary portfolio committee that KPMG had unearthed the wrongdoing, several Postbank officials were suspended and disciplined.
NO LONGER A CONCERN
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Mondli Gungubele, said government was positive it would not encounter any more technical glitches. And that looting of SASSA grants in 2024 was no longer a concern. In fact, several private companies are vying to administer the lucrative monthly grant schemes.
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Those members of staff who helped siphon SASSA money, and the entire Postbank board, were fired in 2023. As far as poor governance goes, besides the looting money, the board was responsible for an illegal R140-million contract with its previous IT and software company.
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