Treasury must step in

IT seems strange Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini was fully aware of the Concourt ruling to have a new service provider/tender, sat on her royal chair and did nothing and then went ahead and signed a new two-year contract contrary to the Concourt.

If a minister with the endorsement of the president and his cabinet cannot follow a Concourt order; why should ordinary citizens follow any court orders?

Now the minister is trying to get a backdoor approval via Treasury when these tenders were never part of the Treasury department in the first place.

Treasury will probably not approve this renewal .

When chaos ensues, Zuma will say, looking flabbergasted, after 20 years in government: “My hands are tied. Treasury has stopped my friends and family and me from delivering to the poor.

“Now they are even taking your pensions. Bathatha amapension yakho manje.”

Zuma will say this at his next rally in a rural place in Northern KZN.

The issue is simple, Treasury must take over all pension/social grant payouts; with the following procedures:

A high court ruling requesting that Treasury handle social grant payments going forward and that the Department of Social Development not be in charge of issuing tenders and dismissing the current contract.

●Issue a tender notice with immediate effect requesting interim payments for another 18 months and a new10-year contract.

Once approved thereafter seek a high court order validating the above in terms of the Concourt ruling and this should take care of minor issues.

Maybe the above is wishful thinking but this might represent a possible solution. Muhammad Omar Durban North