The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) has come on top in the number of complaints received from the public through the national anti-corruption hotline.

This was revealed on Wednesday during the release of the Public Service Commission's (PSC) quarterly bulletin for the period April 1 to June 30.

The hotline recorded 186 complaints in the first quarter of the 2018/19 financial year. The PSC manages the hotline on behalf of government as mandated by cabinet in 2002.

Sassa beat both national and provincial departments with 121 complaints on social grants fraud. The second-highest complaints, which were 37, reported through the hotline were linked to national departments. Of these, 21 complaints were investigated through early resolution and full-scale investigation by the PSC while 16 complaints were referred to respective national departments. Those investigated by the PSC included matters relating to appointments of people and procurement irregularities. A total of 28 complaints related to (government) officials in provinces.

Deputy director-general on integrity and anti-corruption at PSC Matome Malatsi said the complaints about Sassa related to people who claim for social grants but do not have children. "They create fictitious kids. They create fictitious mother. For instance, a mother will have 20 kids [and] claiming for all those kids," said Malatsi.

"Sometimes somebody would put the kids under his name and say 'these are my kids, government please pay me for this and for that. All this will happen while you are working and providing for the kids."