INVALID CONTRACT
Sassa sticks to its guns over grants payments
Sassa confirms the agency is in talks with Net1 CEO Serge Belamant about extending Cash Paymaster Services's contract
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) still insists that extending Cash Paymaster Services’ (CPS’s) invalid contract is the only way to ensure social grants are paid on April 1. The Constitutional Court invalidated the contract in 2014, but allowed it to run its course after Sassa told the court it could not find compliant bidders to take over the contract. In November 2015, Sassa told the court the agency would take over grants payments. Sassa spokesman Kgomoco Diseko confirmed to Business Day on Thursday, that the agency had entered into negotiations, which started on Wednesday, with Net1 CEO Serge Belamant for a contract extension. Net1 is CPS’s parent company. Diseko said the negotiations with Belamant were ongoing. The agency hoped to "avoid jeopardising them by pre-empting their outcome". Diseko said Sassa had presented six options to Parliament for the payment of grants, most of which offered two channels of payment. "Beneficiaries are currently paid via different ...
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