Abstract
Data is power in today’s society, but not all access to data is ethical or legal. When individuals or organizations are able to access unauthorized data, they can manipulate it or profit from it. In this article, the emphasis is on the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant account holders and how their data is being used. The SASSA grant holders are vulnerable and poor, often with no one to assist them if they do not receive their full grant pay-out. A survey was done where 1000 questionnaires were given to helpers who visited SASSA pay-out points in Moloto in Pretoria and Katlehong in Johannesburg, who then assisted the grant holders with completing the questionnaire. A total of 534 completed questionnaires was then used to perform cross-tabulations and Pearson Chi-square analyses. The findings include that not all grant holders are sure of exactly the amount of money they should receive and discrepancies exist, especially in banking charges and unauthorized debits. The age groups of 70 and older and the females tend to receive less than their total SASSA grant pay-out more often compared to younger age groups and males. Future research can include expanding the survey to other provinces and more rural areas as well as to identify if there are similar trends in other countries where there are social grant programs and grant holders who do not receive their full payments.
Recommended Citation
Prinsloo, Tania Mrs and Ntondini, Siphokazi, "The exploitation of South African Social Security Agency grant recipients’ data" (2018). GlobDev 2018. 6.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/globdev2018/6