Sapo-Sassa deal ‘is in place’

Radebe tries to convince sceptical parliamentarians that the social grants provision crisis is being resolved

A deal between the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the South African Post Office (Sapo) that will include private sector participation will be in place by next Friday, says Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.

Parliament heard from Radebe, who heads the interministerial committee on comprehensive social security, on Wednesday that a hybrid system that could accommodate private companies in the provision of social grants was being drafted for signing next week.

But the parliamentarians were largely unconvinced by Radebe’s reassurances.

The briefing came as a Treasury letter informed Sassa CEO Pearl Bhengu that the penalisation of Sapo from card production was not justifiable.

“There are always challenges but we left no stone unturned in ensuring that the impasse does not emerge again. When planning this we are looking at the Post Office as the principal agent in assisting Sassa, but ... we are open to other suppliers assisting,” said Radebe.

The interministerial committee move included a partnership between Sassa and the Post Office, and the departments of home affairs and state security.

“The project plan will outline the detailed plan for execution, resource requirements, critical milestones and communication strategy. This will also include the commitment to draw in additional capacity from other organs of the state as may be required,” he said.

DA MP Lindy Wilson said while the interministerial committee’s intervention was a positive development at face value, Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini still had a lot of explaining to do about her previous remarks regarding the grant payment arrangements.

“Although the DA is pleased that there might soon be an end to this Sassa social grants debacle, we must face the fact that Minister Dlamini once again tried to delay the process of Sassa finding a new distributor of social grants in order to keep the dodgy CPS [Paymaster] contract,” said Wilson.

EFF MP Ntombovuyo Mente said the joint committee would still be in hot pursuit of the person who had misled Parliament and tried to undermine the Constitutional Court by casting aspersions on Sapo.

Mente said they would get to the bottom of the delay and find out who was responsible for it. The interministerial committee had to be free to conclude the process as it saw fit.

Inkatha Freedom Party MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa said he found no comfort in the update or the interministerial committee’s intervention as no one had yet been held azzzccountable.