How can I get a refund from a life policy that deducted money from my mother's SASSA grant that she says she did not consent to?

The long answer

SASSA said in August 2025 that it was aware of the issue of unauthorised deductions from old age grants. SA People News reported that SASSA CEO, Themba Matlou, said that SASSA had handed over the investigations to the police to track down those responsible.

SASSA said clients should immediately contact SASSA. “Alternatively, clients who dispute signing a funeral policy with the financial services provider are advised to immediately dispute the deduction by sending an SMS to 34548 with their Identity number and the financial services provider’s name. They should also visit the insurer or the financial services provider to cancel the policy.”

The SA People News article recommends the following: 

• SMS your ID number, full name, the name of the financial service provider, policy duration and reason for disputing the deduction to 34548

• WhatsApp SASSA on 082 046 8553

• Call the SASSA helpline on 080 060 1011 or visit a local office in-person

SASSA contacts by province:

• Eastern Cape: 043 707 6300

• Gauteng: 011 241 8320

• Mpumalanga: 013 754 9446

• Limpopo: 015 291 7509

• North West: 018 388 4006

• Free State: 051 410 8339

• North West: 053 802 4919

• KwaZulu-Natal: 033 846 3324

• Western Cape: 021 469 0235

Legal Aid set out SASSA’s responsibility clearly in this 2018 article about deductions from your SASSA account: "SASSA is responsible for the receipt, management and accounting for all disputes on deductions that are registered with them."

This is what you should do if you notice any deduction from your grant that you are unaware of:

Go to your nearest SASSA office and register your complaint about the deduction at the Help Desk at the pay point.

Your complaint will be manually or electronically registered by the SASSA staff.

You will need to give the following documents and information to the staff: 

1. Full name and surname 

2. ID number (take your ID document with you)

3. Nature of the complaint, like how much money has been deducted, how often, and for how long. Be sure to add that your mother did not consent to this deduction.

4. The reason for the deduction (in this case, a life policy)

You will also need to make an affidavit and have it signed by a Commissioner of Oaths. There should be one at each SASSA office. The regional authority in charge of coordinating all the disputes will receive your completed affidavits. They will then forward the completed affidavits and complaints to the SASSA fraud department. 

What happens next is at SASSA's discretion. Your mother's account could be blocked for future sales or products (she will still receive her grant). If SASSA finds that she did not consent to the money being deducted, they might refund her. 

You could also contact the Black Sash for assistance in getting the refund for your mother. The Black Sash is an organisation that gives free paralegal advice. 

Black Sash called on SASSA to take stronger action and said that the onus should not be on pensioners: “The system itself needs stronger protections. Grants must reach beneficiaries in full, without being chipped away by … companies. These are not small amounts; they are life-and-death amounts.”

These are the contact details for the Black Sash:

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

Tel (national office): 021 686 6952

Helpline: 072 66 33 73, 072 633 3739 or 063 610 1865

In case you should need them, these are the contact details for Legal Aid:

Tel: 0800 110 110 (Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm) 

Please Call Me: 079 835 7179 

Email: [email protected]

In summary, to get your mother’s unauthorised deductions refunded, you may have to contact both SASSA and the insurer that has been deducting the money, and the Black Sash could assist you. 

Wishing you the best,
Athalie