SASSA Confirms Grant Dates and New Biometric Enrollments for September 2025

PRETORIA — 15 August 2025

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has set official payment dates for September 2025 and will introduce mandatory biometric enrollment at all offices starting 1 September.

Old age grants will pay on Tuesday, 2 September; disability grants on Wednesday, 3 September; and child support grants on Thursday, 4 September (SASSA statement). War veterans, foster care, care dependency, and grant-in-aid payments will also be processed.

From 1 September, all SASSA offices will implement mandatory Beneficiary Biometric Enrolment to fight fraud. The system will use fingerprint and facial recognition via electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) technology.

This technology aims to detect fraudulent claims and identify forged identity documents that staff may miss. Applications submitted without biometric data will face processing delays and enter an automatic review cycle until beneficiaries complete enrollment.

SASSA CEO Themba Matlou confirmed: “Our plans were to commence with biometric enrolment at the beginning of the 2025/2026 financial year; however, we hit a snag, but we have ironed out the issues that delayed our plans and it is all systems go for the implementation.”

The agency warned staff involved in fraudulent activities would face consequences. SASSA said it will “act against and hold its officials accountable” if caught collaborating with fraudsters (SASSA statement).

Beneficiaries are urged to comply with enrollment requirements to prevent payment disruptions. SASSA frontline offices will provide further guidance during launch week.

Editor’s note: Added clarity to biometric enrollment mechanism based on SASSA documentation.