The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is facing a critical staffing shortage, with less than 50% of its permanent positions filled in local offices nationwide.

This shortage is contributing to long queues and delays in social grant services, raising concerns over service delivery.

A recent parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Alexandra Abrahams revealed that SASSA’s fixed staff establishment includes 18,603 permanent posts, but only 7,076 of these are currently filled.

This means a vacancy rate of 62%, with 144 funded posts vacant at different stages of recruitment, and a total of 128 posts having been vacated. 

”The latter indicates the Agency has a 2% vacancy rate in terms of funded posts,” said Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe.

Tolashe explained that, while there are 272 funded vacancies out of 18,000 vacant positions, many posts remain unfunded due to constraints in the Compensation of Employees (CoE) budget.

”With challenges of a limited Compensation of Employees budget, the Agency employs contract workers to fill gaps and utilises ICROP to extend social security services to remote communities,” she said. 

Moreover, the Agency is planning to automate its business processes, which will bring about improved services and efficiencies in service delivery. 

Frontline staff in local offices are particularly affected, with only 4,806 employees attending to grant applications and client queries, leaving 86 funded posts vacant.

KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of local office filled posts at 1,071, followed by the Eastern Cape with 833, and Gauteng with 583. The Northern Cape is the most understaffed, with just 258 employees.

Tolashe confirmed a 58% vacancy rate in the local office establishment and assured that the agency plans to fill 272 posts this financial year, prioritising local office vacancies as they arise.

”The organisational structure is currently under review. During this process the agency has decided to prioritise and fill all local office posts as they become vacant.”

Despite these staffing challenges, the national budget for social development is growing.

The Department of Social Development was allocated R294 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, up from R275 billion the previous year. However, 96% of this budget, R284 billion, is earmarked for monthly social grant payments, leaving only a small portion available for agency operations, including staffing and infrastructure.

Over the medium term, R24.7 billion has been allocated to SASSA’s administration, including roughly R3.9 billion for employee compensation in 2025/26.

SASSA’s Annual Performance Plan describes the agency’s organisational structure as “very large,” noting that 18,730 vacancies were created between 2006 and 2008 based on plans to insource the full grant payment chain.

However, the agency has been cautious in filling posts, focusing on critical roles and never exceeding 9,000 filled posts.

On administrative costs, SASSA reported that for the 2023/24 financial year, these costs stood at 3% of total social grant expenditure,  R7.3 billion out of R251 billion, which is well within the acceptable standard of 5%.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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