SASSA Hits Back at Claims R30m PR Deal Was Meant to Boost CEO’s Profile
- SASSA is pushing back hard against a newspaper report linking a R30 million PR contract to its chief executive
- The agency says the contract was already in place before Themba Matlou took the top job
- The funding was tied to a massive public awareness drive affecting over a million grant recipients
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The South African Social Security Agency has firmly denied allegations that a R30 million public relations contract was put in place to elevate the personal standing of its chief executive, Themba Matlou.
The accusations, which surfaced in a newspaper report, suggested the sizeable communications deal was tailored around Matlou's leadership. SASSA rejected this outright, pointing out that the contract predates his appointment to the top position, making it impossible for the arrangement to have been built around him personally.
According to SASSA, the bulk of the funding was directed at a nationwide public awareness campaign to guide grant recipients through significant operational changes. Central to this effort was helping more than one million people migrate from older payment cards to new banking arrangements, a process the agency described as essential to ensuring uninterrupted access to social grants.
The agency also defended its practice of holding regular briefings with journalists, particularly those from community and local outlets. SASSA argued these sessions exist to help reporters accurately explain complicated grant regulations and to flag fraudulent activity targeting vulnerable beneficiaries, not to generate favourable coverage or discourage critical journalism.
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On the matter of Matlou himself, SASSA pointed out that previous allegations made against the executive had already been examined and dismissed by the Public Protector. The agency called on the public and media alike to ensure that any criticism is grounded in confirmed information rather than unverified claims or cases of mistaken identity.
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- A gogo told Ramaphosa her SASSA pension was not enough during a community walkabout, and South Africans noted his response.
Source: Briefly News
