Communications and digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi has expressed disapproval about the approach taken by the SA Post Office (Sapo) business rescue practitioners (BRPs) to not appear before a parliamentary committee.
Members of the National Council of Provinces select committee on economic development and trade were dissatisfied with the non-appearance on Tuesday by Sapo BRPs Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons at a virtual meeting and did not accept the delegation sent to represent them. They were meant to brief the committee on Sapo’s financial sustainability.
Committee chair Sonja Boshoff said she would explore the possibility of summoning the BRPs under subpoena to appear before the committee with parliament’s legal adviser. This is within the powers of parliamentary committees.
Boshoff shared a letter from Malatsi in which he said he received correspondence from Rooplal, Damons and Sapo acting CEO Fathima Abdul-Gany requesting a deferment of the meeting. He said he had written back to them on April 9 “to state that I would not support nor request a deferment, nor would an application for a closed session be considered”.
“Subsequently I have been informed that the above specified BRPs and acting CEO have tendered their apology and would send Walter Stander and Mukovhe Ravhura to represent the BRPs, and Lenny Govender, Solly Gaybba, and Jikesh Jagbeer to represent Sapo management.
“I wish to express my dissatisfaction with the approach taken by the BRPs and the acting CEO and to support the possibility that the select committee may formally summon the BRPs and acting CEO to appear and account before the select committee,” Malatsi wrote in his letter to Boshoff.
Abdul-Gany wrote to Malatsi last week to say she and the BRPs would not be able to attend the meeting and would send representatives.
Boshoff said the committee had been trying to meet the BRPs since November last year when the BRPs requested a deferment which was granted. The BRPs sent a letter to the committee Monday saying they would not be available Tuesday.
“I think the BRPs are shirking their responsibilities. They should have been ready by now. They have had four months to prepare their report and speak to it. We want to know where Sapo stands. I am completely dissatisfied with their approach to our request for this meeting today,” Boshoff said in an interview with Business Day.
Sapo spokesperson Suzie Khumalo said Abdul-Gany was on leave.
Rooplal told Business Day other commitments prevented the BRPs attending .
“It was certainly not intentional. There is nothing untoward about it. It is simply a matter of timing. Unfortunately the meeting date for this meeting was changed so we were involved with other commitments. But we did send our representatives to the meeting who were very competent and able to talk on our behalf. We will wait for the meeting to be rescheduled so we can attend.”
He insisted the BRPs had nothing to hide, had been very transparent with their reporting, had appeared before other portfolio committees and released monthly reports to creditors and affected parties on process under way.
He said the BRPs were still engaging with government about the R3.8bn which was promised by cabinet at the time when Sapo was threatened with provisional liquidation and was instead placed in business rescue. No provision was made in the 2025/26 budget for this funding.
Rooplal said the business rescue plan was premised on receiving the R3.8bn, which was needed to settle the second tranche of the dividend payment to creditors of 18c in the rand, for infrastructure upgrades and operational requirements.
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