The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has expressed serious concern over the Department of Social Development’s qualified audit opinion for the 2025/26 financial year, after it was revealed that millions in grant funding have been paid to people who were already deceased, government employees and those whose eligibility could not be fully confirmed.

The committee was briefed by the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) on the audit outcomes on Tuesday.

The continued weaknesses in the South African Social Security Agency’s (SASSA) payment system were highlighted, which are resulting in financial “leakages.”

The Auditor-General’s audit report states that R244.5 billion in grants is distributed annually to 17.8 million beneficiaries, but that losses remain concentrated in verification, payment, and monitoring control measures.

Official analysis shows that R211.6 million in grants was paid out in 2025/26 to beneficiaries who were already deceased. This is significantly higher than the R18.6 million paid out in the same category the previous year.

Irregular payments to people with invalid identity documents total R18.9 million.

R266.8 million in grants was paid to public servants, which is higher than the R260.7 million from the previous financial year.

A total of R235.1 million in SASSA grants was paid to members of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), while R604.3 million was paid to individuals for whom records were incomplete, making it impossible to confirm their entitlement to a grant.

The committee said these weaknesses raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of controls and verification mechanisms intended to ensure that social grants are paid only to eligible beneficiaries.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Bridget Masango, says that every rand lost through weaknesses in the system is a rand that could otherwise be directed towards supporting vulnerable South Africans.