Dlamini innocent until proven guilty, says Zuma
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has urged parties to wait until April 1 to determine if Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini warranted axing from the cabinet.
This followed calls in Parliament yesterday for her to be axed.
Zuma said he would not act until the date in question has arrived – when social grants are to be paid.
In a rowdy question and answer session, filled with points or order, verbal attacks and trading of insults, Zuma stood firm in his support for Dlamini.
He described calls by opposition MPs to fire Dlamini “funny democracy” and said parties must wait for April 1. He pointed out that such calls were not rule of law, but the law of the jungle.
Zuma defended the appointment of Brian Molefe as an MP, saying it was the decision of his province, North West, to send him to Parliament.
“I thought this country is a democratic country, which adheres to the rule of law. If there are allegations, allegations are not convictions. Allegations are allegations,” he said.
Zuma told Parliament there was no crisis on grant payments, stating that the Constitutional Court would rule on the matter.
Earlier, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said the government would fully back the decision of the Constitutional Court.
He said the Ministerial task team looking into the grants crisis, led by him, would not take a decision on Dlamini until it completed its work. He said there were no calls at the meeting of the Cabinet task team last week to fire Dlamini.
Radebe said the task team would give more details after the Constitutional Court judgment. “The issues around actions of whatever nature will only come after processes have been completed,” he said.
Radebe said the task team also backed calls for the insourcing of social grants.
“The insourcing of these grants is a matter of paramount importance. There are a lot of entities that need to be brought to the party in our view. We have the South African Post Office, the State Information Technology Agency and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,” he said.
In the National Assembly, Zuma said opposition parties were asking too much of him to fire Dlamini before they could see whether grants would be paid on April 1.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said Dlamini received a scathing rebuke from Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in the handling of this matter and that she had put the lives of 17 million beneficiaries at risk.
He said it was time Zuma fired her. Maimane was supported by Liezl van der Merwe from the IFP and Corne Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus.
But Zuma said he would not do so. He said the Department of Social Development and National Treasury were working to find a solution to the crisis. “As we speak the Department of Social Development and the Treasury are currently meeting to ensure there is money, [and that] people are paid. People are working hard to ensure beneficiaries are paid. You can’t say the minister has failed when the date has not come,” said Zuma.
Van der Merwe said the question was not about whether grants would be paid on April 1, but about a minister who had failed to address the problem a year ago. She said she had warned Zuma last year about the impending crisis and had urged him to establish a commission of inquiry.
Zuma said when Van der Merwe raised the question of the inquiry he had asked her to bring evidence, but she had not.
Maimane accused Zuma of defending Dlamini, despite a crisis recognised by even the Constitutional Court.
If there are allegations, allegations are not convictions. Allegations are allegations.