Fintech group Lesaka Technologies is increasingly onboarding social grant beneficiaries, as the South African Post Office , which has a government contract to distribute millions of social grants, faces liquidation.
Amid controversy, the South African Social Security Agency’s business ties with Net1 subsidiary Cash Paymaster Services came to a close when the extended contract expired in 2018.SASSA had, since 2012, relied on the services of CPS to pay millions of beneficiaries through cash payments, direct deposits and electronic payments.
Despite receiving the full R2.4 billon funding allocation from National Treasury in 2023, it was revealed that SAPO requires a further R3.8 billion, in order to fully implement the approved business rescue plan.According to Mali, turning around the social grant business since he was appointed Lesaka CEO for Southern Africa three years ago is one of the things he is most pleased about.
“We have moved from a cash-dispensing business or a cash logistics business, to a pure sales and service business, where we win and retain every customer. We had to change our entire distribution model.” “We currently have about 11% of that market, the biggest being Capitec, but obviously the post office still has the bulk but customers are moving every day.
When a beneficiary gets the card, he explains, they have to approach SASSA in order to change their banking details, which means the money they get will no longer be coming from the SASSA card or from the post office.