Bathabile Dlamini does not want to go down in history as the minister who let down 17 million vulnerable South Africans who looked up to her to change their lives.
South Africans find themselves agonising about what could be a dire situation with disastrous consequences for the indigent and most vulnerable of our society who rely on the government for survival.
What should have been a routine governance business to invite service providers to bid for the distribution of social grants to 17 million beneficiaries has now become a conundrum, at least for the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the Department of Social Development (DSD).
A matter that should not be complicated has developed into a crisis that has the nation on its edge. It’s a bloody mess. But it should never have been.
It is common knowledge that the department and Sassa had four years to appoint a service provider, after the Constitutional Court declared the current contract with Cash Paymaster Service (CPS) irregular and invalid.
With just 26 days left before the contract lapses, beneficiaries are in a panic mode, left to guess if they will receive their grants or not. Confusion continues to reign, with Sassa insisting that, come April, beneficiaries will get their money without any hitches. Conflicting messages from it and the DSD are the order of the day. Unsurprisingly, the director general, Zane Dangor, has quit in a huff following a stormy relationship with Minister Bathabile Dlamini over the social grants saga. CEO Thokozani Magwaza is said to be on “sick” leave, but some say he is on suspension and a new chief has been parachuted from another agency to replace him. This reflects paralysis at Sassa as officials are split on which solution is best for the distribution of grants.
Dlamini faces a storm over her handling of the grants fiasco, with opposition parties, human rights groups, NGOs and her cabinet colleagues demanding answers. She also infuriated Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) when she failed to appear before it to explain what plan she had to make sure social grants would be distributed next month.
Questions also arise as to why the department seems so determined to negotiate a new contract with CPS when treasury suggests they look wider and rope in the banks. The department and Sassa have argued that they prefer a service provider that uses the biometrics system, which they say has saved the state R2 billion a year as it eliminates fraud.
Three camps are at the centre of the battle- those who want banks to take over; those who want the Post Office to get the contract and the minister, who prefers CPS based on its record and biometric technology, which the other bidders don’t have.
Indications are that the negotiations with CPS to continue distributing the grants have been concluded and that Dlamini will make an announcement in a day or two. This will most likely result in court bids to derail the new contract, further extending the agony for Sassa and the department.
Whatever happens now, Dlamini must take the country in her confidence and make sure the plans she has are above scrutiny and that she has the backing of treasury, cabinet and parliament. For that to happen, she must ensure that she answers questions and proves her plans are the best way to avert what could be a disaster in the social security space.
The calls for her axing will grow louder by the day. We hope that the cabinet meeting on Tuesday will give some clarity on what happens next. We also hope that Dlamini will this time appear before Scopa and answer the hard questions put before her.
Both President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa have given assurance to the nation that Dlamini will soon outline the steps being taken to resolve the problem. What is lost in all this is that things should never have come to this point. While Dlamini has in new court papers filed last week taken full responsibility for the delay in getting a new service provider, government’s response to the crisis has been timid and showed lack of political leadership.
Amid the looming catastrophe, Dlamini was due to continue with her political activities in the ANC Women’s League, which she leads, and was set to address an event to build stronger, inclusive, constructive and socially cohesive communities in Cape Town.
Last weekend, she continued with her campaign trail for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma at a church in Ekurhuleni. This as, Cosatu and Corruption Watch called for sacking.
The political dynamics in the governing party will help her survive this storm, but Dlamini knows that she does not want to go down in history as the minister who let down 17 million vulnerable South Africans who looked up to her to change their lives.