Bishop accused of exploiting job seekers in KwaZulu-Natal
ordered that grants be distributed by the state-owned entity.
The court also ordered that it be provided with regular updates on the progress made by an inter-ministerial committee set up to oversee the migration process.
The committee also heard that about 71% of beneficiaries were paid through the Post Office during the January and February cycle.
Kwele told MPs that some beneficiaries were being “lured” to receive their payments through the controversial CPS.
“As of December 2018 we were able to have migrated 7.5 million beneficiaries to the new Sassa card. Over a million went to the commercial banks.
“As of November we had about 400 000 that needed to be swopped by December.
“We need to intensify our communication and awareness to get the 150 000 beneficiaries who have not presented themselves to collect their new cards.
“We are working very closely with the Sassa team just to ascertain; you might find that others are deceased or just taking their time,” said Kwele.
Last year, the portfolio committee on social development requested a full-blown inquiry into the relationship between Sassa and CPS following allegations of corruption.
It was alleged that CPS officials were misinforming beneficiaries about paypoints and social grant cards, allegedly stating that cards have expired and thus they needed to re-register for Grindrod cards.
Kwele said the Post Office was engaging in a number of measures to ensure that all beneficiaries received their grants through the Post Office. A DURBAN bishop has been condemned for campaigning for his political party by collecting hundreds of CVs from young unemployed people and promising them jobs at the yet to be opened Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital.
Bishop Timothy Ngcobo led night vigils and marches in support of Jacob Zuma when the former president appeared at the Durban and Pietermaritzburg high courts for arms dealrelated fraud and corruption charges.
Ngcobo has since said he would no longer publicly support Zuma and would focus on his own party, the African Freedom Revolution to contest the May 8 general elections.
On Sunday, he said he had collected 2 720 CVs from unemployed young people from Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu in the north of Durban, promising them jobs at the multimillion-rand 500-bed hospital which is expected to open in June.
He said he collected the CVs to hand them over to KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo so that he could choose suitable people to work for the
Lindiwe Kwele
Post Office chief operating officer
hospital.
“We will give him people who are qualified as nurses, clerks and cooks.
“The area has a high-crime rate, which can only be addressed by employing local people,” he said.
He said during his campaign, late last week, community members had complained that the Bridge City Mall and the new Magistrate Court had employed people who were not from the areas. “We want 99% of people to be employed by this hospital to be from these areas,” he said.
He said his party would lead a march to the hospital on Sunday. He said he would launch his election manifesto on March 31.
Dhlomo accused Ngcobo of fooling job seekers because “the government did not collect CVs”.
“You attach your CV to a Z83 form in response to a particular advert – no positions have been advertised for now.
“What he is doing is useless, and he is fooling our people, and our people must desist from following Ngcobo with a hope that he is going to get them jobs,” said Dhlomo.
Ngcobo said he was collecting CVs because there were attempts to employ perople from outside the area.
“Locals are telling us that certain ANC councillors are collecting CVs from people who do not live in these areas.
“Let Dhlomo come receive our memorandum … so that he can hear the people raising these concerns about councillors who are organising employment (at the hospital) for people who live as far away as Johannesburg,” he said.
ANC spokesperson in KwaZuluNatal Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu condemned Ngcobo’s action, describing it as exploitation of the poor for political gain.
“The action by Ngcobo is very reckless because it is aimed at exploiting people’s sufferings. It is very unprincipled to used people’s sufferings for campaigning purposes and we see this a campaigning ploy and nothing else,”