Under the new schedule, which was approved by the National Treasury, disability grants will be paid out on Monday, 2 November, followed by child grants on Tuesday, 3 November. Thursday, 5 November, has been specifically reserved for beneficiaries whose grants are currently undergoing a review process. SASSA stated that these revisions followed consultations with various stakeholders, aiming to safeguard the integrity of the social assistance system while ensuring that millions of dependent South Africans continue to receive support in an orderly manner during the sensitive election period.
The timing of the payments intersects with a broader public discourse regarding the eligibility of foreign nationals for social support. In recent weeks, confusion has mounted following a July ruling by the Constitutional Court, which declared certain provisions of the Refugees Act unconstitutional. The apex court determined that asylum seekers cannot be denied access to the asylum system solely due to administrative failures, such as missing the five-day reporting window or entering through undesignated borders. The court emphasized that claims must be considered on their merits and that current provisions unfairly prejudiced children whose claims depend on their parents’ status.
Despite the legal nuance of the ruling, misinformation has circulated on social media suggesting that the decision automatically granted citizenship or broad social grant access to all asylum seekers. This narrative has fueled protests in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi has moved to correct these misconceptions, stating clearly that the agency does not pay social grants to undocumented foreign nationals. “We only pay refugees that qualify,” Letsatsi said. He clarified that while qualified refugees have the same social grant rights as citizens, the sole distinction remains the right to vote, which is reserved for citizens.
Letsatsi provided specific data to counter viral claims about the scale of foreign beneficiary numbers, noting that only 1,815 refugees currently receive social grants. He emphasized that this is significantly lower than the figures circulating online. Furthermore, he explained that grant access is not permanent; SASSA’s verification system automatically removes beneficiaries whose refugee status cannot be verified within a six-month period.
In addition to clarifying eligibility, SASSA has issued warnings regarding disinformation targeting beneficiaries. The agency has advised recipients to ignore messages claiming that social grants will be cancelled if beneficiaries use gambling sites, labeling such communications as disinformation. Beneficiaries have been urged to rely only on official SASSA communication channels for accurate information and are cautioned against unnecessarily rushing to SASSA offices, as payments will be processed strictly according to the announced schedule.
The agency has specifically called on beneficiaries whose grants are under review to respond to official correspondence and attend scheduled appointments. By front-loading payments for the older population and setting aside a specific day for reviews, SASSA aims to maintain operational efficiency and prevent the social assistance system from becoming a focal point of electoral disruption. The next formal step for beneficiaries is to monitor their official communication channels for review notices and to ensure their personal details are up to date prior to the 30 October payment date.
