Beneficiaries reveal what is going on with SASSA’s R370 payments
· The South African
Thousands of Social Relief of Distress beneficiaries are struggling to update their banking details on SASSA’s system, despite the agency warning that failure to act could result in their R370 grant being suspended or permanently cancelled.
SASSA has been clear: beneficiaries whose payments are delayed due to closed, inactive, or unverifiable bank accounts must update their details immediately or risk losing their grant. But many recipients say the system is not cooperating.
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One beneficiary commented that she has been attempting to update her details since January, sending multiple emails that have gone unanswered. Her ID number and account details are correct, yet the portal continues to reject her submission.
“Everything is fine, but for banking details to be typed in, it’s not accepting. ID and number were correct, easy method,” she said.
Accusations of theft and a broken system
The frustration has curdled into outright distrust. Tyrone Michael accused SASSA of stealing money, a sentiment that resonated widely. Thomas Heneke described the banking detail update process as fundamentally broken. For beneficiaries who depend on the R370 grant to survive each month, a failed payment is not an inconvenience; it is a crisis.
Furthermore, SASSA has not publicly addressed why the banking update portal is rejecting valid submissions or why beneficiary emails are going unanswered.
Who qualifies remains a flashpoint
The broader conversation around the Social Relief of Distress grant remains deeply divided. Some South Africans used the post to question who the grant serves, with claims, unsupported by official data, that a large proportion of beneficiaries are foreign nationals.
SASSA has consistently maintained that applicants are verified against the Home Affairs database and must meet strict eligibility criteria.
For now, the agency’s advice remains unchanged: beneficiaries must ensure their banking details are correct, update them promptly, check their SRD status regularly at srd.sassa.gov.za, and use only official SASSA platforms.
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