The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Social Development said the trend of arresting South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) officials suspected of fraud and corruption sends a strong message on intolerance of malfeasance. 

Last week, the South African Police Service (Saps) arrested four Sassa officials at the Johannesburg local office in Gauteng, after receiving a tip-off from whistleblowers.

Committee chairperson Bridget Masango said last week’s arrest followed the arrest of three Sassa officials at the Idutywa local office in the Eastern Cape at the beginning of March.

Masango explained that the decisive action taken by Sassa would encourage whistleblowing and deter fraud and corruption where it took place.

She highlighted that whistleblowing was a “necessary and strategic” tool to curb corruption by acting on tip-offs, encouraging whistleblowers to report more fraud and corruption cases.

The committee commended whistleblowers who continued to inform law enforcement agencies about Sassa officials suspected of fraud.

The committee also commended Sassa for working with law enforcement to root out corruption at the agency.

“When corruption is allowed to thrive in institutions such as Sassa that provide important social welfare services, it is the vulnerable beneficiaries who suffer the most,” she said.