The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has dismissed claims of a new partnership with EasyPay Everywhere. This dismissal came after several reports in various media outlets suggested the launch of a digital payment system for social grant beneficiaries.
Each month, Sassa distributes over 18 million permanent grant payments, including the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid.
Sassa said articles claiming a collaboration to implement a "transformative digital payment system" are inaccurate.
We would like to inform the public that this information is incorrect.
The social grant payment agency called on media organisations to verify the information before publication to prevent confusion among beneficiaries.
We encourage all media outlets to verify information with Sassa before publishing, to avoid spreading misinformation that could potentially cause confusion among our beneficiaries.
The agency has also called on beneficiaries to exercise caution during the festive season and rely on official Sassa channels for updates on new initiatives.
This period often sees an increase in scams targeting vulnerable individuals. We urge our beneficiaries to remain vigilant and avoid being misled by unverified information.
What Is Easypay Everywhere?
Lesaka Head of Sales, Simphiwe Phakathi distanced himself and his company from the claims. Sassa acknowledged his clarification and welcomed his efforts to address the misleading reports.
EasyPay Everywhere (EPE) is a financial service provided by Lesaka Technologies (formerly Net1 UEPS Technologies), primarily for underserved and low-income communities in South Africa.
It offers a range of banking and payment solutions, including accounts and cards designed for individuals who may not have access to traditional banking services.