The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) receives millions of applications for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. After evaluating applications, Sassa encourages applicants to conduct a Sassa status check to see if they will be paid the grant.
Some R370 grant beneficiaries have been required to conduct a facial recognition check. Here's why.
Facial recognition is required for identity verification if the R370 grant beneficiary needs to clear a referred status or when updating your mobile number.
'Referred' Sassa Status Meaning
A beneficiary will receive an R370 grant referred status there Their grant application has been flagged for review (referred). The beneficiary will need to use facial recognition to verify their identity.
There are a few reasons why an R370 grant application might be flagged for further review (referred).
One possibility is that there might be an incomplete application. This could be due to accidentally missing a required document during submission or even a simple error in the information the beneficiary provided.
Sassa Identity Verification
Sassa takes it very seriously to make sure they are paying their grants to the correct person. So Sassa take identity verification very seriously.
Another reason that your grant might not be paid is data discrepancies. Sassa compares application details with other government departments. If there's a mismatch in information like income records or ID verification, they might need clarification before proceeding.
Finally, Sassa may also randomly select applications for additional checks to ensure the overall integrity of its verification processors.
Common Reasons to Change Mobile Number
R370 grant applicants will need to change their mobile number if they lose their phone or it gets stolen. The beneficiary will need to update their mobile number associated with the grant to ensure secure communication and receive important updates from Sassa.
Benefices may have switched phone numbers and want to update their contact information with SASSA to receive grant notifications and communication on the new number. There are also some cases where beneficiaries might have accidentally entered an incorrect phone number.
The Facial Recognition Process
You will receive two SMS messages from Sassa. The second SMS will contain a link for verification. Clicking the link will initiate the facial recognition process.
It's important to note that this link is only valid for 72 hours (3 days).
If you encounter issues with receiving the SMS or the link expires, contact the Sassa call centre at 0800 60 1011. Alternatively, you can email grantenquiries@sassa.gov.za to request the SMS to be re-sent.
