Johannesburg - Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has been likened to Marie Antoinette - a French queen who infamously helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and the resultant overthrow of the country's monarchy in August 1792.
In reply to a DA parliamentary question, Dlamini on Tuesday reportedly said R753 per month should be enough to buy adequate food as well as additional non-food items for social grant beneficiaries.
This statement has irked former Anglican Archbishop (Emeritus) Njongunkulu Ndungane who on Saturday came out guns blazing, saying: “In most countries in the world, such an insensitive statement would be greeted by outrage.”
Ndungane said Dlamini should resign for her comments as “this statement... is completely out of touch with reality”.
“Indeed, her remark is akin to the famous one by Marie Antoinette on the eve of the French Revolution who, when told there was no bread for the poor, dismissively told them to eat cake”
“It’s clear that the poor, whilst earning the least, are most hit by high levels of food inflation,” Ndungane said.
The DA’s shadow minister of social development, Bridget Masango, has also challenged Dlamini to join her on a shopping trip to test if R753 can buy adequate” food and other essentials.
Sunday Independent