Bathabile Dlamini faces MPs in Parly over grants debacle

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is currently facing Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) over the ongoing debacle over the payment of social grants and pensions by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) come April 1.

Even though Dlamini has assured the public that social grants to 17 million people will be paid next month, she has dodged how much it will cost government, and has previously snubbed the committee’s invitation to account to it last week.

On Monday the Social Development Department said it had secured a brand new contract between CPS and Sassa.

The social security agency’s project leader Zodwa Mvulane speaking at a briefing in Cape Town said the new contract will come into force on April 1.

However, It remains unclear if National Treasury will give the new contract with CPS the green light without the Constitutional Court approving the deal first. The court declared Sassa’s contract with the service provider in 2014 invalid and unconstitutional.