How We Verify Information

By , Content Writer Published Updated

Before a figure or procedure appears on this site it is traced to an official SASSA or government source, checked for currency, cross-checked where a second official source exists, and recorded on the page with the date it was last confirmed. Anything that cannot be confirmed is marked as unconfirmed, not published as fact.

What are the six steps?

  1. Identify the claim. Every specific value — an amount in rand, a threshold, a deadline, a number of days, a step in a process — is treated as a claim that needs a source.
  2. Find the primary source. The claim is traced to the official publication it comes from: a SASSA page, the SRD portal, a Department of Social Development notice, or the Government Gazette.
  3. Check it is current. Grant values and rules change, usually from 1 April each year and sometimes mid-year. The source must describe the current period, not a previous one.
  4. Cross-check. Where two official sources cover the same fact, both are read. If they disagree, the more recent and more specific one is used and the disagreement is noted on the page.
  5. Record it on the page. The page cites the source and shows the month the fact was last confirmed, in the byline and the source note at the foot of the article.
  6. Publish with a real date. The Published date is the day the page went live. It is never back-dated or forward-dated.

What counts as an official source?

Only publications from the South African government or its agencies. The ones used here are listed, with what each is used for, on the sources page. Newspapers, other websites, YouTube and social media are never used as the basis for a fact — they are only used to understand which questions people are asking.

What happens when a fact cannot be confirmed?

It is not published as a fact. The page either leaves the value out, says clearly that it could not be confirmed, or describes the range of what official sources do say. A plausible-sounding number is worse than no number on a site about money and deadlines.

Circulating claims

Claims that spread on social media — a grant increase, a new payment date, a deadline — are treated as unconfirmed until an official source publishes them, however widely they are shared.

How often are pages re-checked?

Pages containing amounts, thresholds or dates are re-checked against their sources when SASSA announces changes, and at minimum around the annual April adjustment. Procedure pages are re-checked when the SRD portal or SASSA process changes. The Updated date moves only when the content itself changes; see the editorial policy for how dates work.

If you believe something on a page is out of date, send the page and the source and it will be checked.

Reviewed by Secure The Grant editorial team against official SASSA sources on . How we check our facts