PARLIAMENT, March 14 (ANA) – As pressure built in the National Assembly on Tuesday for Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini to resign amid the uncertainty that social grants would be paid on April 1, the minister went on the offensive denying a crisis and blaming opposition parties for the situation.
Firing the opening salvo in the debate on the social grants crisis, Inkatha Freedom Party MP Liezl van der Merwe said a “dodgy contract” was at the heart of the crisis, and was accompanied by a social development department which was guilty of “maladminisration, gross negligence and incompetency”.
She described Dlamini as the “culprit” responsible for the “deficiency of accountability”, also taking aim at Parliament’s presiding officers for allowing the minister “duck and dive accountability”.
Referring to the 2014 court judgment which found the contract between the SA Social Security Agency and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) invalid, Van der Merwe criticised the fact that little to nothing was done over three years which eventually led to the prospect of an illegal contract having to be extended. “What did Minister Dlamini do? Nothing!
“Today we need Minister Dlamini to take personal and political responsibility for this crisis by vacating her office, failing which President Zuma must act.” This, she said, was, however, unlikely as Dlamini and Zuma were “besties”.
As Dlamini took to the podium, dressed in ruling African National Congess (ANC) colours, and loudly supported by backbenchers in ANC benches and members of the ANC Women’s League – who filled many seats in the public gallery in support of their president – the minister “set the record straight”.
“From the outset, I would like to reiterate the assurance of president Jacob Zuma that there is no crisis at Sassa,” said Dlamini.
“We have without fail been paying the right grant to the right person at the right time and place since Sassa’s establishment 10 years ago. We will continue doing so without fail come April first and beyond.”
She blamed the confusion related to the payment of grants on “prophets of doom”, in an apparent reference to opposition parties.
Democratic Alliance mp Bridget Masango said what unfolded since the Concourt ruled the CPS contract invalid was “an unbelievable example of recklessness” by Dlamini and her officials ” who put the livelihoods of millions of our people at our risk”.
“It is now blatantly clear she [Dlamini ] has done all in her power to avoid to produce any contract to the Constitutional Court,” said Masango, accusing the minister of “personally interferring” to ensure the CPS contract goes ahead.
Ntombovuyo Mente, Economic Freedom Fighters MP, said whether grants are to be paid on April 1 or not, “it is a matter of principle”, saying the minister had failed to uphold a Constitutional Court order, saying it was a “sick government” which would mislead and put the livelihoods of millions of poor South Africans at risk.
The Congress of the People (Cope) said what was happening was a “manufactured calamity”, hinting that someone was pocketing money from the CPS deal.
Freedom Front Plus MP Corne Mulder went further, saying Dlamini should be found in contempt of court by South Africa’s highest court for not abiding by its directives.
Sole African People’s Convention MP Themba Godi, who hardly these days sides against the ANC was frank in his assessment of the situation. Godi is also chairman of Parliament’s watchdog on public accounts who has for the last week trying to get to the bottom of the emergency.
“The issue is not about payments, more than that it is about whether such payments would be done legally or not,” he said.
Godi said what led to the crisis was a “well orchestrated plot” by people who were beholden to the CPS company.
He also laid the blame at the feet of Bathabile and Sassa, but stopping short of calling for her resignation or axing.
– African News Agency (ANA)
