'Bathabile Dlamini doesn’t care about grant beneficiaries'

Picture: ANA

Picture: ANA

Published Mar 10, 2017

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Pretoria – Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is playing deadly games with the lives of close to 18 million South Africans welfare grant beneficiaries, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said at a protest in Pretoria on Friday.

Addressing DA supporters gathered at the social development department in the country's capita, Maimane said Dlamini knew that the contractual row relating to the payment of social grants was putting lives at risk but she did not act because she simply doesn’t care.

"You see, Bathabile Dlamini is in Zuma’s corner. And when you’re in Zuma’s corner, there are many things you don’t have to do. When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t have to account for your actions to Parliament and the people of South Africa," he said.

Picture: ANA

“When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t have to answer difficult questions from the media. When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t even have to do your job. Looking after the poor and the vulnerable may be her job, but Bathabile Dlamini doesn’t care about grant beneficiaries. She has too many other things to worry about.”

He said Dlamini’s entire focus was on the ruling African National Congress and “campaigning” for Zuma.

“If she’s not busy campaigning for Zuma himself, or for her own position in the ANC Women’s League, then she’s out there campaigning for the president’s ex-wife to take over from him. In Bathabilie Dlamini’s world, this is what she was elected to do. The poor, the disabled, the sick, the old and the young come second. Number 1 (reference to Zuma) comes first,” said Maimane.

“The ANC is still counting on selling people the lie that it cares enough to hand out R10 billion in grants every month. But thanks to Minister Bathabile Dlamini, people now know that this is a lie. The mask has finally slipped. Every day, more and more South Africans see this ANC government for what it really is. So what more must the ANC do before they are kicked out of government?”

The leader of the largest opposition party in South Africa accused the governing ANC of peddling lies that the DA was against social grants.

“The ANC wants you to believe that the DA is against social grants. They spread fake stories about how the DA will take away grants once we’re in government. These are lies. Not only do we fully support the safety net of our social grant system, we even tried to increase the grants with an additional R2.2 billion in the budget. But the ANC blocked this,” Maimane said to applause.

“Where the DA governs, people get paid their social grants every month and no one has ever lost their grant. But now it is the ANC who is threatening to take away grants through this crisis. The DA is fighting to save your grants and make sure they are paid on 1 April. The ANC is fighting to get rich, even if that means you don't get your grants. That is the simple truth.”

In a memorandum to the social development department, the DA demanded that Dlamini quit her job.

“Minister Dlamini must resign immediately. She is incompetent, and cannot serve in any position in government,” Maimane read out the memorandum.

Dlamini indicated at a briefing last weekend that an arrangement has been made for Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), whose contract expires at the end of this month, to continue paying out the much needed social grants to millions of desperate South Africans.

African News Agency

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