Nehawu moves to clip Bathabile’s wings

THE National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) wants Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini’s powers over the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) to be curtailed.

This comes days after Thokozani Magwaza’s tenure as Sassa chief executive came to an end, following death threats and allegations he had been pressured to quit while negotiating a partnership with the SA Post Office on the distribution of social grants next year.

Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba said yesterday Dlamini’s role in the crisis left many questions unanswered. “She is hell-bent on destabilising the social development sec- tor through her interference with the day-to-day management of operations. This situation has spread to the National Development Agency (NDA), which is on the brink of collapse.”

Xaba said the union was calling on Parliament to amend the Social Security Act to strengthen governance at Sassa. “In its current form, the act does not make provision for the establishment of an independent board, hence the interference by the minister in Sassa operations,” Xaba said.

“This arrangement leaves any chief executive vulnerable to unreasonable instructions from the powers that be, or face the chop,” he added. The proposal drew mixed reaction from parties and Parliament.