SA Post Office and SASSA agreement cautiously welcomed by province

I cautiously welcome news that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the South African Post Office (SAPO) will come to an agreement on the payment of social grants.

The announcement was made today in Parliament, after the Inter-Ministerial Committee indicated that a payment agreement roll-out deal would be signed by next week Friday.

However, given the track-record of uncertainty and poor leadership already shown by the National Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, I will be requesting full feedback on this matter at a MINMEC (meeting between the Minister and all MECs), to be held next week.

SASSA is a national entity, and provincial departments of social development have no operational control over it.

To date, SASSA had kept provincial departments in the dark about developments.

17-million people nationally and 1.5-million social grant recipients in the Western Cape will only find comfort once pen-hits-paper, and the deal between SASSA and SAPO is signed. We cannot afford to have any more delays and obfuscation from the National Minister.