R1.2m Sassa fraud: Eastern Cape man nabbed over false disability grants
According to Hawks spokesperson Lwando Zenzile, the man allegedly recruited people in Bisho and Zwelitsha to supply him with ID numbers which he provided to Sassa officials who then fraudulently created disability grants between August 2018 and September 2019.
People wait to collect their Sassa grants. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
A 51-year-old man from Kwatyutyu in King William’s Town was arrested on Friday for allegedly defrauding the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) of almost R1.2 million.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lwando Zenzile, the man allegedly recruited people in Bisho and Zwelitsha to supply him with ID numbers which he provided to Sassa officials who then fraudulently created disability grants between August 2018 and September 2019.
Zenzile said the Hawks were tipped off about the alleged fraudulent and corrupt activities of the suspect along with Sassa officials.
“The investigating team established that after the money was deposited into individual accounts, the suspect made withdrawals and gave the so-called beneficiaries half of the money and the rest were shared among him and the officials.”
The suspect is expected to appear in the Zwelitsha Regional Court on Monday.
Zenzile said more arrests were expected to take place soon.
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