SASSA Debunks False R500 Grant Claims for Chronically Ill Seniors

South Africans beware, Sassa not giving an 'extra R500' to chronically ill people over 70 IN SHORT: Old claims that the South African Social Security Agency is adding R500 (about US$30) to grants for chronically ill people aged over 70 are still false. Watch out for zombie claims doing the rounds online. According to a message circulating on Facebook in South Africa, people over 70 years old with chronic illnesses can apply for an "extra R500 per month added to their grant". Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is a national government entity that manages and distributes social grants to vulnerable people. Residents if you have family members over 70 and they are chronic patients please assist them with the application for the extra R500 per month added to their grant. Get a form from the SASSA office take it to the Dr get him to fill it out and return the form to the SASSA office. If the patient is treated at the local clinic or hospital then the form must be filled out there. NB....the patient has to be on chronic medication in order to qualify for this. The same claim has been posted in Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members. If this claim sounds familiar, it's because Africa Check debunked it in 2024 . But it's doing the rounds again online, and it's still false. Another 'fake news alert' from Sassa Sassa's older person's grant is a benefit paid to people aged 60 and over. In 2026, while the claim was circulating, the grant was R 2,400 per month for those aged 60 to 74 and R2,420 for those older than 75. But there is no evidence that Sassa is offering an extra grant for people with chronic conditions, and the government entity has once again debunked the claim as " fake news ". 📢FAKE NEWS ALERTPlease note that this message is fake and was not issued by SASSA pic.twitter.com/eV07sWjxVN -- SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) September 11, 2026 Debunking zombie claims This is an example of a zombie claim - those that just won't die - despite having been debunked before. So here's how you can fact-check such claims: Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Read the original story , with links and other resources. Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.