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In today’s Portfolio Committee Meeting on Social Development, Minister Susan Shabangu confirmed reports that Abraham Mahlangu has been appointed as Acting Sassa CEO following the redeployment of Pearl Bhengu to KwaZulu-Natal.

While the DA welcomes Bhengu’s exit from Sassa, her redeployment does not absolve her from accountability nor does it entitle her to a severance package.

Past experiences have taught us that ineffective CEO’s often get rewarded for poor performance and enabling corruption to fester in our parastatals.

Bhengu was at the helm of Sassa when the agency was on the verge of yet another social grants crisis and she was believed to have been very close to former Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, who was set on ensuring the continuation of the illegal CPS contract.

The reality is that Bhengu has to be held accountable for her hand in the many crises that Sassa continues to suffer and her role in the social grants mess must be investigated.

The new Sassa CEO has a responsibility to remain politically independent and to ensure that he always acts in the best interest of the 17 million poor and vulnerable South Africans, who depend on social grants every month to just get by.

The DA will continue to keep an eye on the developments at Sassa and we will ensure that Parliament exercises its oversight and hold Shabangu and Mahlangu accountable.

Issued by DA