SABC deals above board – acting chief

This is against public finance management rules, but Dangor said the Treasury would be asked for an exception for Sassa given the urgency of the situation.

“You are allowed to deviate for one bidder, but it can only be done with the permission of National Treasury,” Dangor said.

Committee chairperson Themba Godi said that Sassa had years to prepare itself to take over the grant payment function, but had failed to do, and it was clear that the emergency it faced to ensure those dependent on welfare receive their grants from April was self-made.

“It was clearly planned out to create an emergency and to hold a gun to South Africa. The critical political question is why?”

MPs from across the political spectrum deplored the absence of Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, who favours an extension of the CPS contract and who has dismissed proposals from the Treasury that would see commercial banks and the Post Office being brought in to pay grants as an interim measure. – ANA ACTING SABC group chief executive James Aguma has denied that there was anything dodgy about a raft of contracts worth several million rand signed during the festive season when there was no board to approve the deals.

Briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications, Aguma did not deny the signing of contracts, but said it was done within the delegation of authority framework – a set of guidelines boards and executives have to comply with.

Last month it emerged that several deals were signed before Christmas after the last of the board members had resigned.

Aguma blamed the media for spreading misinformation. – ANA