Sassa’s last-ditch bid to get grants paid could land it in court, experts warn
Sassa CEO Thokozani Magwaza’s letter to Sapo CEO Mark Barnes has caused a furore, but Magwaza insists it is a perfectly above-board approach
The desperate bid by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to avoid an imminent social grant crisis may backfire and land it in court‚ say experts. Last week‚ Sassa CEO Thokozani Magwaza wrote to Post Office CEO Mark Barnes asking for assistance to help fast-track a payment deal. But governance expert William Gumede says the letter‚ sent days after Sassa’s request-for-information process closed‚ could result in court action from other potential bidders‚ which could ultimately nullify the entire process. In a letter Sunday Times has seen from Sassa addressed to Mark Barnes‚ Magwaza asks whether Sapo can assist it. "Given the extremely limited time available for payment in April‚ Sassa would like to inquire whether there is anything that Sapo could assist us with. Should this be possible‚ a transitional arrangement could be entered into through an intergovernmental agreement‚ which could not necessarily require a full procurement process‚" reads the letter. Sassa received r...
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