Biometrics, verification curb social grant fraud

Biometrics, verification curb social grant fraud

The social grants system has faced allegations of fraud over the years. MTBPS 2026: Government has witnessed R13.1 billion in savings by reducing social grant fraud through administration and verification measures. As a result, it will implement similar approaches for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme bursaries and housing subsidies, according to National Treasury. Treasury…

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SASSA grant beneficiaries fuel Lesaka consumer unit boom

SASSA grant beneficiaries fuel Lesaka consumer unit boom

Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa. (Photograph by: Lesley Moyo) Fintech group Lesaka’s consumer division, which caters for South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries, is continuing to make gains. This emerged when the JSE- and Nasdaq-listed company today published its third quarter results for 2026. At segment level, the consumer division delivered…

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UCT researcher secures global grant to test AI solutions

UCT researcher secures global grant to test AI solutions

Dr Tim Köhler, senior research officer at the Development Policy Research Unit in UCT’s School of Economics. A University of Cape Town (UCT) researcher has secured international funding to examine whether generative artificial intelligence (AI) can improve employment outcomes for South Africa’s unemployed youth. Dr Tim Köhler, senior research officer at the Development Policy Research…

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SASSA grant beneficiaries fuel Lesaka consumer unit boom

Lesaka disburses R1bn in loans to social grant recipients

Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa. JSE-listed fintech group Lesaka Technologies disbursed loans amounting to over R1 billion to its customers, the majority of whom are South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grant beneficiaries. This is according to Lincoln Mali, CEO of Lesaka Southern Africa, speaking today in an interview with ITWeb after the…

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Africa: Southern Africa Tackles Climate-Driven Disease Threats Through Pandemic Fund Grant

Africa: Southern Africa Tackles Climate-Driven Disease Threats Through Pandemic Fund Grant

Gaborone, Botswana — Eight Southern African countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are joining forces to Prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks before they spread to communities. The three-year, USD 35.8 million initiative, Strengthening One Health Disease Surveillance and Response in Southern Africa, coordinated by the World Health…

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Africa: Southern Africa Tackles Climate-Driven Disease Threats Through Pandemic Fund Grant

Africa: From Grant to Growth – How a Kenyan Recycler Built Jobs From Broken Glass

STORY HIGHLIGHTS In five years, a Nairobi-based glass recycling business has grown from 60 to 140 employees and an annual revenue of $800,000. The business received a $36,000 grant from the World Bank-funded Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP). Through the KYEOP’s MbeleNaBiz Initiative, 750 young Kenyans received grants of $9,000 or $36,000 to…

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SA start-ups among Meta’s Llama Impact Grant recipients

SA start-ups among Meta’s Llama Impact Grant recipients

Meta’s Llama Impact Grant supports organisations and individuals that leverage Llama to develop solutions tailored for Sub-Saharan Africa. Two local start-ups − Vambo AI and PropelMapper − are among the five winners of the Llama Impact Grant for start-ups and researchers based in Sub-Saharan Africa. In March, Facebook-parent company Meta, in partnership with Data Science…

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