Social development minister refuses to answer tough questions on grants crisis
Social development minister Bathabile Dlamini has outright refused to answer pressing questions from the media surrounding the plans to distribute 17 million social grants on 1 April 2017.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) sits with 17 million beneficiaries that need to paid a social grant, and no detailed plan to pay them.
At press conference held on Sunday, Dlamini explained that government would make good on its promise to deliver social grants by using 2,600 SA Post Office outlets as a payment vehicle.
She explained that no service provider had been taken on board to replace Cash Payment Services, whose agreement with the department was ruled as illegal and invalid by the Constitutional Court in 2014.
However, in the Q&A session with media after the statement the minister outright refused to answer questions from media houses like eNCA, who were pressing for information about how exactly social grants were to be distributed, the resignation of Director Genral, Zane Dangor, and the working relationship between Dlamini and the Sassa CEO.
Dlamini said she would not answer questions from media who were pushing their own “agenda”, and would not comment on anything that could “cause issues”. Questions related to the DG and CEO were also dismissed.
[WATCH] #Dlamini: “I don’t want to talk about issues that might create problems.” #SASSA briefing LIVE >> https://t.co/FjSzAqQXTE pic.twitter.com/yAcaGJINVf
— eNCA (@eNCA) March 5, 2017
eNCA later received confirmation that, while there was an agreement discussed to get the grants paid out, nothing had been signed by Sassa or the department of social development.
One of the few questions Dlamini answered was one from an ANN7 journalist about claims that the minister did not applaud finance minister Pravin Gordhan when he delivered his Budget speech.
Dlamini said she did clap.
Read: National Treasury makes it clear: it is not involved with the Sassa grants mess
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