The former minister of social development is alleged to have lied under oath
The court has given Cash Paymaster Services 15 days to provide all documents that will allow the treasury to calculate the sum it needs to refund the social security agency
The social security agency says it will not extend the December deadline to switch to the new Sassa cards
The ConCourt has ruled that former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini was not negligent by extending the CPS contract last year
The social development minister is following in the footsteps of her predecessor
In May last year the high court ruled that CPS could continue to deduct money for airtime, loans and electricity from social grant beneficiaries
Sapo chief executive Mark Barnes says the entity could not afford the 12% wage hike
Social development minister says the transition from CPS to Sapo will closely involve all beneficiaries
For now, Cash Paymaster Services is prepared to charge Sassa R45 to pay social grants in cash, rather than its initial pitch of R66.70 per beneficiary
Social development minister promises Sassa grants will continue to be paid and that their obligations to the Constitutional Court will be met
The minister needs more time to appoint an evaluating team that is better equipped to judge tender proposals
Sassa has assured MPs that all grants will be paid from April 1
Sassa paid CPS after the company claimed it had enrolled more grant recipients and beneficiaries than it had been contracted to provides services for.
Social security staff are in a tizz, fretting that no backup plan is in place to pay grants come April 1
With less than a month to transfer core components of the scheme to CPS, Sassa has to answer how it will deliver cash-based social grants
Roughly 2.8-million beneficiaries will not get their grant payments if the contract with CPS is not extended, the agency argued in court papers.
A panel of experts expects Sassa to renege on its Constitutional mandate to pay grants to over 10-million recipients.
CPS argues no party during the court process suggested that it should be barred from participating in any future tenders in regards to grant payment.
A panel wants the treasury to take over paying social grants as the agency can’t get its act together
As on Monday and Tuesday, Dlamini continued to insist on providing what she deemed important context, but seemed mostly to be irrelevant detail
‘This is the best deal for the state and we have proved that. Whatever the price is, we are paying ourselves’
The alternative payments scheme was suggested two weeks ago by the expert panel set up by Sassa and Black Sash under the supervision of the court.
There is a danger that Sassa, under pressure from political principals, will make hasty decisions, with consequences that could be expensive.
Parliament’s social development portfolio committee will seek legal advice on whether to summon Dlamini.
The social development minister will be on her own to answer questions about the Sassa debacle
With more than half its jobs vacant, Sassa has until 2021 to find a solution to distribute grants.
But there is still hope for a precedent that will keep companies honest
From this Wednesday, the company will pay him a salary of some R660 000 per month to work for at most a half-day for up to two more years
For years Net1 had been criticised about its financial dealings with grant recipients, such as selling them life insurance.
Over the past five years it has recorded a pre-tax profit of R1.1-billion, Cash Paymaster Services has told the ConCourt.
Cash Paymaster Services is on its own after the social grant agency withdrew from the case
Magda Wierzycka might be the richest woman in SA but she hasn’t lost sight of those with very little