The social security system is an anti-poverty intervention for those who are faced with increasing insecurity and daily social pressures (economic shocks/unforeseen circumstances). While its targeting of poor households is widely recognised, serious challenges and problems have been experienced by the recipients of social grants in South Africa. This article explains how the social security system in South Africa operates. Its objective is to determine social grants recipients' views and experiences regarding the electronic payment method. The research on which this article is based was conducted in Mabopane Township, situated north of Pretoria, in the Gauteng Province. A sampling technique was employed where three focus groups of social grant recipients were selected. These include recipients of child support grants, old age pensions and disability grants. A total of 60 participants were randomly selected for the interviews, and