Presidency denies knowledge of meetings between Zuma’s adviser and SASSA

The presidency has denied any knowledge of secret meetings that President Jacob Zuma's legal advisor‚ Michael Hulley‚ is reported to have had with top managers of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) on the payment of social grants.

The Sunday Times reported that Hulley played a key role in ensuring that Cash Paymaster Services would keep the lucrative contract to deliver more than 17 million social grants to recipients.

• Zuma lawyer fuels CPS grants chaos, 'stressed' Sassa bosses land in hospitalPresident Jacob Zuma's special adviser played a key role in ensuring that Cash Paymaster Services would keep the lucrative contract to deliver more than 17 million social grants to recipients 

His intervention coincided with Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini flatly rejecting any payment option that did not involve CPS‚ raising questions about why the minister was so intent on retaining the company‚ the newspaper said.

However‚ in a terse statement on Sunday‚ the Presidency‚ noting the report‚ said: “The Presidency is not aware of the said meetings.”

It made no further comments on the issue.

According to the Sunday Times report‚ Hulley has been named as the person who advised Dlamini to go against Advocate Wim Trengove SC and three other independent legal opinions that recommended that she should let the Constitutional Court decide the fate of the CPS contract.

• Social grants crisis - DA’s PAIA request confirms no new contractNo new no new contract exists between Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) and South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). 

Four independent sources told the Sunday Times this week that Hulley had two meetings with Dlamini and top Sassa officials in December last year‚ when he is said to have advised them to continue with the CPS contract‚ the report said.