Gordhan: Extension of social grant contract 'would be unlawful'
'If you want to do anything with that tender‚ go back to the Constitutional Court'
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan says Treasury received an official request for deviation from regular tender processes from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) yesterday. Gordhan was invited to appear before parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday to explain Treasury's role in the continuing saga around the payment of social grants. He said that Sassa had written to the National Treasury first on February 7‚ requesting a deviation from normal tender processes to allow them to extend the existing contract with the current service provider‚ Cash Paymaster Services (CPS). That contract was declared invalid by the Constitutional Court in 2014. Treasury declined the deviation request. Gordhan said a second request for deviation was received yesterday‚ in order to authorise an entirely new contract with CPS. He said the Treasury was "applying its mind". But he said any extension of the CPS contract would be unlawful. "If you want to do anything w...
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