THAT SINKING SASSA SENSATION
Oct 06, 2017
The Portfolio Committee on Social Development might have been bracing itself for a much-awaited report from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) on its 2016/17 performance.
The Committee further awaited an update on effecting the Constitutional Court judgment. Predictably, they walked away no wiser from their 5 October meeting.
From media accounts of the proceedings, the ANC majority on the Committee effectively blocked a challenge from the opposition by dismissing the attempt for progress per the Constitutional Court order as an attempt to “cloud the issues”. The acting CEO of SASSA survived the meeting unscathed.
SASSA has by all accounts not covered itself in glory over this reporting period. There are unmet Constitutional Court deadlines under scrutiny; “deviations” in contracting of service providers; hirings-and-firings of key personnel, including its CEO and Director-General, and irregular expenditure amounting to R1.4 billion, according to the Auditor-General.