NATIONAL NEWS - At last, Sassa has struck a deal with the South African Post Office (Sapo) and South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) beneficiaries can heave a sigh of relief.
Sassa and Sapo have signed an agreement that will see Sapo taking over as one of the key channels for the payment of social grants from 1 April 2018.
Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe made the announcement at a media briefing on Sunday 10 December in Pretoria.
The agreement involves partnering with private sector service providers for the distribution of social grants.
This makes provision for beneficiaries to receive their monthly payment through Postbank, commercial banks, large and small retail shops or legally registered spaza shops owned and operated by South Africans.
The agreement will ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted payment of social grants as directed by the Constitutional Court when Sassa's contract with Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) ends on 31 March 2018.
It will furthermore ensure that Sassa complies with the Constitutional Court judgment which ordered Sassa to find an entity other than the CPS to pay social grants from 1 April 2018.
The Constitutional Court ruled that the contract between Sassa and CPS was invalid but suspended its invalidity for 12 months to allow Sassa to find another service provider.
The Constitutional Court also ordered the Department of Social Services to report on the progress made to ensure a seamless switch-over of social grant payments in April.
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