Sassa crisis: Gordhan appears before Scopa
Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan who is currently addressing Parliament's standing committee on public accounts, says officials have a duty to ensure that social grants are paid on April 1.
Giving updates on the Social Security Agency crisis, Gordhan says they have a Constitutional responsibility to obey the law.
"At the same time given the current circumstances, both in respect of SASSA and ourselves, there's what one senior counsel called 'a higher duty'. That higher duty is how do we ensure people receive their grants on April 1.
"I want to say very categorically that everything that we're doing at the moment is directed at ensuring - within legal bounds and where flexibility is required - how grants are to be paid on April. I'm fairly confident that grants will be paid on 1 April," he said.
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A Constitutional Court judgement declared SASSA's contract with Cash Paymaster Services invalid ordering the Department of Social Development to initiate another tender.
It was unclear whether 17 million South Africans, who are dependent on social grants, would receive payouts on April 1 following the ruling. A new contract to distribute the grants has not been concluded.