BotswanaPost loses social benefits tender
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday June 10, 2016 12:58
The services include monthly disbursement of social benefits cash allowances for old pensioners, World War II veterans, destitute people and disability allowances.
An official of Sandulela told BusinessWeek that indeed they won the tender and are currently working around the clock to see how they are going to distribute the money.
“I can confirm that we have won the tender and we are all busy preparing for the takeover.
For now, I cannot disclose how we are going to distribute the money,” she said, but declined to be named.
According the BotswanaPost’s head of strategy and communications, Lebogang Bok, effective next month, BotswanaPost will no longer be the designated agent of the Department of Social Protection for the Disbursement of social benefits after they lost the tender.
“Our contract with the Department of Social Services came to an end; we tendered and unfortunately we didn’t win the Lobatse and Southern District one. However, other post offices across the country are not affected,” she said.
The post offices in Southern District and Lobatse are 14 and include Lobatse, Woodhall, Kanye, Moshupa, Mmathethe, Digawana, Khakhea, Mabule, Mabutsane, Sedibeng, Mahikana, Pitsane, Goodhope, Mmasekou and Jwaneng.
Bok noted that this transfer means that, effective next month beneficiaries who they have been servicing in the affected areas will no longer get the same service at their postal office.
In total, BotswanaPost has been servicing about 140,000 people across the country. “However, the services will remain available for other beneficiaries in the country, as they can get their monthly social benefits cash allowance at the Southern district and Lobatse Post offices unlike the ones who are registered at the said districts,” she explained. In addition, Bok noted that the June payment cycle would be the last for all their clients in Lobatse and Southern district as they pave way for a takeover.
She said that they will also be processing payments and collecting all their PosoCards from their customers in the affected geography as they come for their last dues. “We have been encouraging the beneficiaries to save money on their cards, so this means that when they come for their last dues this month we will have to give each individual the balances they have on their cards,” noted Bok. Sandulela Telecom Botswana is a subsidiary of South African-based Sandulela Telecom International, which was founded by Nkululeko Mvulana.
Locally, the company is a distributor of retail and wholesale of prepaid simcards and virtual airtime for Mascom Wireless, Orange and beMOBILE.
Sandulela has also partnered with Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) for the distribution and sale of prepaid electricity throughout the country.