The DA calls on the Hawks to act on the findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in the Eastern Cape irregularly awarded R45 million in food contracts and that it failed to verify whether applicants who received food parcels met the requirements.

These findings from the investigation follows closely on the Mail & Guardian’s revelations a few weeks ago that a three-year cleaning contract worth R45.6 million had been awarded to a senior SASSA Eastern Cape SASSA official’s brother-in-law, and that while SASSA CEO Busisiwe Memela-Khambula promised to investigate this nepotism, nothing had been done as yet.

The Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has yet to respond to a letter from the DA requesting an investigation into the matter. Should she fail, we will have no qualms about taking further steps regarding this.

More recently, Minister Zulu, divulged in answer to a parliamentary question from the DA that 1 768 South African Post Office (SAPO) employees, 4 726 grant beneficiaries who transacted outside South Africa during the lockdown period when the international borders were closed, and 105 inmates wrongfully received social grants in 2020 at a cost of R8 696 000 per month before these payments were suspended.

As South Africa’s state of disaster continues in perpetuity, it has become increasingly clear that the Department of Social Development and SASSA does not truly care about the country’s most vulnerable citizens. Money meant to be spent on providing vital care to millions of desperate people are wasted on irregular contracts for cronies and the connected.

The DA also calls for Minister Zulu, and SASSA CEO to account to parliament regarding the seeming growing corruption at the agency.

Issued by DA