DA submit PAIA to obtain report into alleged irregular appointment at SASSA
16 August 2015
The DA will today submit an application, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), to gain access to a draft report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) into an allegedly irregular appointment at the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).
The draft report – into the appointment of the General Manager Fraud Compliance, Renay Ogle, at SASSA - was effectively stifled by a legal opinion submitted by the Department of Social Development after the PSC sent the report to the department for comments.
In its comments, the department claimed that the PSC did not have jurisdiction to investigate SASSA – and that the PSC’s jurisdiction does not extend to public entities. This led to the PSC withdrawing its draft report, a year after the investigation into the appointment started.
This was revealed in a reply to a Parliamentary question submitted to the department of Public Service and Administration by the DA. The PSC instituted an investigation into the appointment of Ogle, reportedly a personal friend of SASSA CEO, Virginia Petersen, in 2013 and completed the draft report in October 2014.
Last month, the DA revealed a tranche of allegations of corruption, maladministration and nepotism at SASSA, including:
The appointment of Ms Ogle as a general manager in the Fraud Management and Compliance department of SASSA, despite Ms Ogle not having the required qualifications or a driver’s license and being resident in Cape Town yet employed in Johannesburg;
Expenditure by SASSA on travel and accommodation for Ms Ogle on every commute between Cape Town and Johannesburg, despite her being unqualified for the position she occupies; and
Expenditure of almost R800 000 to Werksmans Attorneys for that firm to respond to the Public Protector’s requests for information on certain allegations against SASSA, instead of SASSA responding with the assistance of the Office of the State Law Advisor, as is provided for in the law, which would have been at no cost.
If the PSC was not mandated to investigate this matter, then an explanation is required as to whether any other entity has been tasked with doing so. The DA will be submitting written questions in this regard. Since the draft report is already in existence, we believe it is in the public interest to make it public.
SASSA plays an important role in our society, by ensuring that the most vulnerable are provided with a safety net. It is therefore of critical importance that it functions transparently and spends every cent properly. When this does not happen, it is the poor who suffer the most.
We look forward to gaining access to the full PSC report into this matter, so that every possible step can be taken to ensure that SASSA operates to help those in need, and not those linked to politicians at the top.
Text of the reply:
MINISTRY: PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO.: 2588.
Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration:
(1) Whether the Public Service Commission (PSC) has completed its report into the appointment of General Manager Fraud Compliance for the SA Social Security Agency; if so, (a) when was the report completed and (b) when was it sent to the Minister of Social Development;
(2) whether the PSC received a legal opinion from the Department of Social Development to address the issues that were raised in the report; if so, (a) when was such a legal opinion received and (b) what was the PSC’s response in this regard;
(3) what are the findings of the report;
(4) can he provide a full and complete copy of the report?
NW2963E
REPLY
(1) The Public Service Commission submitted a draft report on the investigation into the appointment of the General Manager Fraud Compliance at the SA Social Security to the Minister of Social Development on 12 September 2013 for comments.
(2)(a) The Public Service Commission received a legal opinion on the draft report on the 14 October 2014
(2)(b) The Public Service Commission withdrew its draft report after consideration of the comments received from the Department of Social Development. The decision to withdraw the report was based on the fact that the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction does not extend to public entities.
(3) The Public Service Commission did not issue a final report.
(4) There is no full and complete report by the Public Service Commission on the matter.
ENDS
Statement issued by Patricia Kopane MP, DA Shadow Minister of Social Development, August 16 2015
