The DA welcomes the decision by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development to place SASSA’s new social assistance payment tender on the agenda next week, Wednesday, 25 January 2017.

This follows the DA’s numerous requests to have Parliament scrutinise the mounting evidence that SASSA is not ready to take-over the distribution of 17 million grants by the 1st April deadline, set by the Constitutional Court.

The reality is that our grants system is facing an unprecedented crisis. The most vulnerable members of our society rely on social assistance. Without this, our country will experience a serious crisis.

This will only be averted with complete transparency, and an honest update by the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, on how she intends to abide by the Constitutional Court decision and ensure that grants continue to be distributed on time in April.

To this end, I have today written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development and requested that Minister Dlamini be summoned to attend the briefing, so that she can also field questions from members of Parliament.

Additionally, I have written to the Minister personally, and appealed to her to do the right thing, come out of hiding, and level with South Africans as to the crisis that is being faced.

Anything short of her full attendance will be a slap in the face of all those South Africans who live in poverty and rely heavily on social assistance from the state.

 

Issued by DA