The Sassa head office in Pretoria, Gauteng. (Deaan Vivier/Netwerk24)
A woman who collected South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants for five years while the company she was the sole director of received police tenders worth millions, has been found guilty of perjury, fraud and theft.
According to Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Henry Mamothame, 67-year-old Sarathamoney Devi Sigamoney applied for a Sassa old age grant in April 2017, “attaching a supporting affidavit [that] stated that she had not worked for 20 years”.
READ | Two Sassa beneficiaries in court for allegedly defrauding the agency
“On April 18, Sassa provided Sigamoney with a letter of approval, which she signed for as received. She is alleged to have received grant money amounting to about R123 000 from July 2017 to July 2022,” Mamothame said.
He added that after charges were laid against Devi, she continued to receive the grant for 16 months.
According to Mamothame, Sigamoney was the sole director of a company called KJP Traders, which was awarded tenders worth R88m from the SAPS for the supply of furniture.
It was alleged that KJP Traders conducted business with the state as early as 2012, preceding her grant application. The matter was postponed to 31 October for the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) to apply for a forfeiture order and for the sentencing date to be determined.
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