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The DA welcomes the Gauteng High Court order that former Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, the former spokesperson for the Department of Social Development (DSD), Lumka Oliphant, and former South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) CEO, Dr Virginia Petersen pay back almost R3.5 million for personal protective services.

Petersen approved the protection of Dlamini and Oliphant and their families after they allegedly received threats in 2012 from bogus grant applicants and Dlamini’s laptop was stolen after a break-in at her residence.

It is shocking that this matter would have been swept under the carpet had it not been for the DA’s pressure and questions regarding the matter.

This judgment is a victory for the enforcement of accountability and the fight against the type of impunity that typified the State Capture of the Zuma years. This includes the grant crisis – which saw Dlamini lie under oath – that left millions of grant recipients out in the cold.

Hopefully, this judgment will put an end to SASSA’s long history of prioritising top management over grant beneficiaries.

Issued by Bridget Masango MP - DA Shadow Minister of Social Development