| Summary: | This study is an evaluation of the grant application process of the South African Social Security Agency in Gauteng, West Rand District. The aim of the study is to determine if there are inefficiencies and incompetence within the system that can make it susceptible to fraud. Another aim of the study is to propose mechanisms to minimise the inefficiencies in the grant application process so that clients can receive the correct grant at the right time and at the designated collection point. SASSA is responsible to prevent unauthorised and wasteful expenditure, and ensure that the state resources are managed and utilised in an effective and efficient manner in compliance with the Public Finance Management Act of 2000. There is also a responsibility to protect the poor and vulnerable. Curbing inefficiencies will gain the citizens confidence in the services offered by the Agency.
A clear explanation of the concept administration as a mechanism for the implementation of policy, management (and its functions), monitoring, reporting and evaluation is provided. This is followed by a discussion on the legislative framework, policies, regulations and procedures which guide the management of the grant application process. Furthermore, the assumptions underlying the dominant schools of thought on the theories of public administration and alternative definitions of the phenomenon are expounded upon.
The study outlines factors that lead officials to deviate from the grant application regulations and procedure which render the system inefficient and ineffective. It also reveals the extent of deviations and non-compliance during the completion of grant applications, the calculation and the capturing of the means test, and approval of grant applications which is a major challenge for SASSA. Several types of behaviour observed and activities performed by officials are identified, all of which have a bearing on how inefficiencies are perceived. There is also evidence that some of the activities are acts of fraud which may have a negative impact on the image of the Agency and service delivery. But the officials‟ attitude to the possibility of fraud increasing seems to be overly sanguine, partly as a result of a very narrow definition of fraud. The study further provides an analysis of the reasons the grant application strategies in place are not successfully implemented by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
The study concludes with the implementation of best practice in terms of management strategies and good governance, and an alternative framework that locates fraud at the systemic level is proposed. Vigilance could be enhanced by strengthening supervisory capacity, enhancing the social pension (SOCPEN) system and internal audit. Furthermore, officials who are found guilty of fraudulent activities must be prosecuted within the shortest time period and not be suspended with full pay. === M Public Administration (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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