Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has told MPs that more than 50 000 grant beneficiary complaints were incomplete as they were still waiting for affidavits from complainants.

Dlamini told the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) had received 95 429 disputes from grant beneficiaries from April 2016 to February 2017.

Illegal deductions

"Most are about airtime and prepaid electricity [deductions]. We've been able to resolve 10 067 cases," she said during a question session to the social services cluster.

"Over 50 000 cases are incomplete as affidavits are still outstanding".

She did not explain the status of the remaining 35 000.

Democratic Alliance MP Leon Magwebu followed up, and was unhappy that Sassa still had that many complaints to process. Dlamini needed to give them a timeline for when they will be resolved, he said.

His colleague, Chris Hattingh, said she didn't answer the original question, which asked how many people had been affected by illegal deductions; not how many had complained.

"Many people won't complain...they will just go on and get their money," he said, before adding that Dlamini should leave procurement "to the professionals".

Social services

Dlamini responded by saying Hattingh was making assumptions and accused him of playing with people's emotions.

She said Sassa only has on record complaints that had been received.

In response to Magwebu, she said the complaints could not be resolved until they had received affidavits from the complainants.

Sassa was due in Parliament on Wednesday to account to the portfolio committee on social development on its annual performance and budget plans.

Dlamini too was expected before the select committee on social services, after its committee meeting was cancelled last week due to non-attendance by either the minister or deputy.