Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Monday said it “appreciated” the deal struck between the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the South African Post Office (Sapo).

Last month, the court gave Sassa until Friday, December 8, to deliver its full plan to the court, after Parliament had heard that a hybrid model had been approved and an "implementation protocol" was signed with the Sapo.

Sassa had adhered to the Constitutional Court's directive to file its full social grants plan by 16:00 on Friday.

The committee criticised Sassa’s “incompetence and obfuscation” in the grants matter.

The committee urged the Post Office to ensure that there was a seamless transition, so that grant recipients could receive their grants on time in 2018.

“Members of the committee are looking forward to engaging with the Inter-Ministerial Committee in January 2018 on the substance of the agreement and the implementation milestones thus far,” said Scopa chairperson Themba Godi.

He said Scopa felt vindicated that its relentless persistence had finally yielded a positive outcome.

The grant distribution debacle must be a lesson to all departments and Cabinet Ministers that they cannot avoid accountability, he warned.

“Scopa remains committed to holding to account all departments and entities on the management of public funds and promises to be relentless and determined in its work in 2018,” Godi stated.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said yesterday that it welcomed the signing of the services agreement between the two entities, to facilitate implementation of a new social grants payment system from April 1, 2018, and called for the agreement to be tabled in Parliament.

DA spokesperson Bridget Masango said it was encouraging that the proposed hybrid model would also involve the use of payment platforms, incorporating banks, commercial retailers and small businesses.

Masango added that the DA welcomed the phasing out of cash payments and the building of an inclusive financial system.