Sassa CEO sets record straight

SOCIAL Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini “lied” to the Constitutional Court in trying to place the blame for the social grants payment chaos on officials.

In her lengthy affidavit filed to the court last month, Dlamini claimed she was unaware until October that the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) would be unable to take over the payment of social grants.

“It is only in October 2016 that I was made aware that the deliverables set out . . . were unrealistic,” Dlamini said in her 140-page affidavit, in which she also argued against having to pay legal penalties and being joined to the urgent application brought by the Black Sash Trust.

But Sassa CEO Thokozani Magwaza said the minister’s version of events was untrue.

In an affidavit filed to the court on Friday, Magwaza said Dlamini had directed Sassa to appoint a ministerial advisory committee in July 2015 and received a report five months later.

The report stated that work streams needed to be set up to investigate further how and when Sassa would be able to effect in-house payment of social grants.

It took the minister more than six months to appoint the work streams, which advised that the best option would be to continue with Cash Paymaster Services for another two years after the company’s invalidated contract had expired, he said.

“Thus I submit that, since July 2015, the minister had knowledge of inadequacies in Sassa to fulfil the objectives of the court order,” Magwaza said in his affidavit.

Dlamini said in her affidavit that there was a communication breakdown between her and Sassa, noting that, in hindsight, she should have demanded greater accountability and more communication. Magwaza sees it differently. “The minister appointed individuals as part of the work streams who would report directly to her and in terms whereof she will retain direct control of this implementation process.

“Sassa was instructed not to interrupt them or delay them.

“The work streams reported to the minister and not Sassa,” said Magwaza.

Most glaring of Dlamini’s alleged lies is a meeting between herself, Government Printing Works and Magwaza to discuss the manufacturing of Sassa cards.

“I categorically state that the minister was not part of my meeting with GPW,” said Magwaza.

Former director-general Zane Dangor is expected to file an affidavit tomorrow, in which he is set to reveal more inaccuracies in Dlamini’s submission before the Constitutional Court.

Lumka Oliphant, Dlamini’s spokeswoman, said the minister would not comment on Magwaza’s affidavit and would wait for a pronouncement by the court.