The DA welcomes that Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has decided to investigate the relationship between the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), following the DA’s request for her to probe their relationship.
The DA is of the belief that Dlamini purposefully bungled the takeover process to ensure CPS would continue to distribute social grants. It is astounding that a Minister who has put the livelihoods of 17 million South Africans at risk, possibly for her own personal gain, would be allowed to keep their job. Yet, we have come to see that President Zuma rewards failure.
The entire country, including the Constitutional Court, has seen Dlamini for what she truly is, uncaring and “incompetent”. The DA has repeatedly called for her to be fired but Zuma continues to protect her.
In fact, instead of firing her, he has opted to establish an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on social security. Like Nkandla, this committee is nothing more than an exercise in institutionalised white-washing.
Dlamini has refused to adhere to three separate legal opinions presented to her and has even disregarded the Constitutional Court. Media reports also indicate that Zuma’s special adviser, Michael Hulley, held special meetings with Dlamini and SASSA officials to ensure the extension of the illegal contract between SASSA and CPS.
Dlamini seemed desperate to ensure that CPS continues to pay out social grants to the 17 million poor and vulnerable beneficiaries and the reasons for this must be fully investigated.
Even when CPS was exposed for illegally deducting money from the social grants of the most vulnerable in our society, she did not care.
The DA therefore hopes that the Public Protectors’ investigation will shed some light on how this crisis came about and that those who are responsible, particularly Dlamini, are brought to account, as it is becoming clear that the president will continue to aid Dlamini in dodging accountability.
Social Grants Crisis: DA welcomes victory for grant recipients in spite of Dlamini
The DA welcomes the fact that the 17 million social grants will be paid after 31 March 2017, in spite of the astounding “incompetence” displayed by Social Development Minster, Bathabile Dlamini.
What is clear is that the Minister has been directly responsible for this crisis.
The Constitutional Court has given Dodging Dlamini until 31 March to submit her argument as to why she should not personally pay the legal costs for this process, which is a damning indictment on her.
Dlamini has failed spectacularly and has been directly responsible for this crisis, which the DA believes she purposefully manufactured to ensure CPS would continue to distribute grants, no doubt for her own personal gain.
It is now time that President Jacob Zuma immediately fire Dlamini to ensure that she will no longer be able to exert her toxic influence, interfere or block alternative payments methods for the distribution of social grants.
Zuma has no plans to hold Minister Dlamini accountable for social grants crisis
The Democratic Alliance condemns, in the strongest terms, President Zuma’s unwillingness to hold the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, accountable for the social grants crisis that she has created. It is now clear that 17 million South Africans have been abandoned by the President and the ANC.
Today President Zuma told Parliament and the people of South Africa that there exists no social grants crisis. This indicates a President out of touch with reality.
He has no interest in making sure that Minister Dlamini is held to account for her astounding lack of action and utter contempt – not only for the Constitutional Court – but for the 17 million poor and vulnerable people who depend on social grants for their livelihood and survival. This is the very Minister who Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng yesterday called “incompetent” in discharging her responsibilities.
Zuma fails to see how Dlamini has sat on her hands for three years since the highest court in the land declared the CPS contract invalid and ordered that SASSA make alternative plans for the distribution of grants. Dlamini has been far too busy campaigning for the ANC to prioritise the payment of social grants.
Zuma fails to see how Dlamini wilfully misled Parliament when she claimed, in her budget vote speech on 5 May 2016, that SASSA will be ready to distribute grants come 1 April.
Zuma fails to see that Dlamini has failed in her responsibility as a Minister to answer 93% of Parliamentary questions relating to the crisis.
The President is flatly refusing to stand up for the 17 million South Africans. The DA will not hesitate to do so and that is why we have written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, to request that she establish an Ad Hoc Committee to fully investigate this crisis and to hold those responsible to account.
The millions of South Africans who have been left to wonder if they will be able to put food on the table for their children and families after 1 April 2017 deserve nothing less.
Social Grants Crisis: DA calls for Ad Hoc committee
Today we are faced with a crisis, manufactured by the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, which has put the livelihoods of 17 million South Africans at risk.
We know that in 2012, Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) won the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) tender to distribute social grant payments. In April 2014, the Constitutional Court declared the contract invalid based on two grounds:
- First, was that SASSA failed to ensure that the BEE credentials claimed by CPS were objectively confirmed; and
- Second, was that the second bidder’s notice did not specify with sufficient clarity what was required of bidders regarding biometric verification, which resulted in only one bidder, CPS, being considered in the second stage of the bidding process, which rendered the process uncompetitive and made any comparative consideration of cost effectiveness impossible.
In November 2015, SASSA reported to the Constitutional Court that it would be ready to take over the distribution of social grants from 1 April 2017.
Indeed, in her budget vote speech on 5 May 2016, Dlamini reaffirmed that SASSA would take over the payment process of social grants.
The DA has written to the Public Protector asking her to conduct an urgent inquiry into an alleged breach of the Executive Ethics code for wilfully misleading parliament.
It has become clear that the Minister has done everything in her power to ensure that CPS would continue to distribute social grants and we must get to the bottom of who will benefit from this.
That is why we have also requested that the Public Protector launch an investigation into the relationship between Dlamini and CPS, as there must be a reason why Dlamini has been so hell-bent on ensuring that CPS would continue to distribute grants.
On 12 March, SASSA CEO, Thokozani Magwaza, claimed that Minister Dlamini blocked all his efforts to report back to the Constitutional Court about the payment of social grants and that she personally interfered when he tried to find a solution to the crisis.
Dlamini also wilfully ignored three separate legal opinions which all recommended that SASSA proactively approaches the Constitutional court, as it was clear, a full year ago in April 2016, that they would not be ready to take over the distribution.
The DA can today reveal all three legal opinions, the golden thread running through each is that SASSA should proactively approach the Constitutional Court to seek directions on how to proceed as it is clear that they would not be ready to take over, despite the Ministers assurances.
In May 2016, SASSA was advised by Advocates Nazeer Cassim and Mias Mostert to approach the Constitutional Court to proactively to seek guidance as to whether the Court wished to resume its supervisory jurisdiction and to inform the Court regarding the delays in the institutionalisation of grant payments and inform them of the new time frames. Tellingly, this opinion stated that “our concern is that the impression may be created that SASSA has, all along, been pulling the wool over the Court’s eyes.”
In October 2016, Adv. Trengrove found that “The Constitutional Court has already held that the original procurement was unlawful and invalid…[and] We conclude that SASSA’s proposed interim agreement with CPS will not be lawful.”
Adv Trengrove essentially stated that SASSA should contract with CPS only for the bare minimum time to allow them to enter into a lawful contract following a tender process. Further, the interim contract with CPS must be on “the same or similar” terms. It cannot be more preferential than the original, unlawful conduct or they would fly in the face of their financial obligations. Adv Trengrove also stated that the failure to enter a legal contract “is due instead to SASSA’s own failure to get its ducks in a row in time” Finally, SASSA were once again advised to proactively approach the court with this information, which they did not do.
In November 2016, SASSA and the Minister received counsel from Adv Sikhakhane. He advised that SASSA reports to the Constitutional Court on its chosen option or solution for the payment of social grants and that SASSA should make every possible attempt to be in a position to perform the services itself.
Advocate Sikhakhane stated that “Any attempt to extend the contract with CPS without leave of the Court, may be viewed as perpetuating an illegality”.
“SASSA may approach the Constitutional Court to seek to extend the suspension of the declaration of invalidity in order to allow SASSA more time to procure the ancillary services from a service provider”.
According to Sikhakhane’s advice, SASSA had enough time to find an adequate alternative service provider. Thus, based on this counsel, it can be deduced that SASSA sought to change the circumstances by doing absolutely nothing, hoping that the court would be misled. This crisis is indeed self-made.
Dlamini, refused, with typical ANC arrogance, all of the advice presented to her. The DA will send all three legal opinions to the Public Protector to supplement investigation into whether the Minister wilfully mislead parliament.
Not only did the Minister manufacture this crisis, she also avoided every opportunity at accountability.
With only two weeks to go until the contract expires – and no alternate plan to ensure grants will be paid, this is an unbelievable example of recklessness and Dlamini’s inability to prioritise the livelihoods of millions of South Africans above her own Interests.
The DA has therefore submitted a draft resolution to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, to request that Parliament establishes an Ad Hoc Committee to launch a full parliamentary inquiry into the social grants crisis.
An ad hoc committee into this crisis will play an important role in ensuring that all the guilty parties are held to account.
This ad hoc committee must investigate:
- the circumstances surrounding the crisis, including the role of the Minister
- the nature of the relationship between CPS, the current and former ministers of Social Development and the current and former Chief Executive Officers of SASSA;
- Serge Belamant’s role in this crisis; and
- the various legal opinions which were sought regarding the issue over time, including that of the Special Advisor to the President, Michael Hulley.
17 million South Africans receive social grants every month. These grants barely cover the cost of the bare essentials and now these grants, which in some cases are the only source of survival for the poor, is in danger because Dlamini saw it fit to play political games, most likely as she will benefit in some way or another.
It is now blatantly clear that Dlamini has done all in her power to avoid having to produce any contract for the Constitutional Court’s scrutiny and that the minister is desperate to ensure that CPS keeps this lucrative contract at all costs.
Social Grants Crisis: Dlamini’s own lawyer admits she failed
Today, Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini’s, legal counsel admitted before the Constitutional Court that Dlamini “was remiss” in handling the process to take over the distribution of social grants to 17 million poor and vulnerable beneficiaries.
The DA believes that Dlamini manufactured this crisis to force the extension of the invalid contract between SASSA and CPS, and now with only 16 days left until the expiration of the contract, the country remains unsure how beneficiaries will be paid.
Dlamini must be fired with immediate effect for causing the crisis. She is an embarrassment to our country and her remaining in office is an insult to the poor.
The DA has continuously called on the President to remove Minister Dlamini, however, Zuma continues to protect her because she is a key member of his “Defence League” that helps him remain in power.
The more the ANC protects Dlamini, the clearer it becomes that the ANC protects those who disregard the poor and vulnerable.
Tomorrow, I will outline steps the DA will take to hold her and the ANC government accountable for the mess they have created.
It is time for Parliament to send a loud and clear message that this contempt for the poor will not be tolerated for a minute longer.
Dodging Dlamini’s reign of impunity
Note to editors: The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by the DA’s Shadow Deputy Minister of Social Development, Lindy Wilson MP, during the debate on the SASSA crisis.
From very large nyana skeletons to the artful dodger. Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, has become a master of dodging accountability.
Her absolute disdain and disregard for 17 million poor and vulnerable South Africans, the Constitutional Court, Parliamentary procedures and regulations, and the PFMA, beggar belief. The lengths she has gone to, to ensure that CPS gets a new contract to issue grants again, cannot be made up.
In July 2016, when it was fast becoming apparent that SASSA were facing challenges with regards to the take-over of grants in April 2017, the DA began submitting written questions to the Minister. 15 in total. The Minister responded to two. This year we submitted 13 questions and not one of them has been answered.
- The DA asked the Minister whether she submitted the proposed payment model for the takeover of the payments of grants by SASSA to the National Treasury for analysis and evaluation – NO REPLY.
- In July 2016 and again in January 2017 the DA asked the Minister whether SASSA intends to extend its contract for the distribution of grants with Net1/CPS before the specified contract concludes on 31 March 2017 – NO REPLY.
- The DA asked the Minister for the details of the various work stream categories set up by her department to action the transition of the distribution of social grants from Net1/CPS to SASSA – NO REPLY.
- The DA questioned the tender processes used for the contracts for the leaders and work streams – NO REPLY.
This a clear indication of the Minister’s reign of impunity and her continual dodging of any opportunity to account for her department’s failure to ensure that 17 million South Africans receive their grants when the current invalid CPS contract ends on 31 March 2017.
Parliamentary questions are a vital component of accountability in Parliament and provide an opportunity to ensure that the Executive conduct themselves in a transparent manner.
When the DA requested the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee to please summons the Minister to give account to the Portfolio, we were advised that the Chair may not summons the Minister, she gets invited. If she decides to come, it is up to her.
When the Minister did grace the Portfolio with her presence, it was to continue her lack of transparency. She was deliberately vague in her responses, and, when the DA pushed for concrete answers, they were shut down by the Chair of the Committee.
So the DA requested SCOPA to ask the Minister to appear. Only then did her skeletons start to fall out of the closet… and it became apparent that her manipulation of this emergency situation in favour of CPS and the lack of any contracts with them had put the lives of 17 million South Africans at risk.
The DA is of the belief that Ms Dlamini is no longer fit to hold office and have called for President Zuma to fire her. His silence on this matter is deafening and serves to confirm that the ANC rewards failure.
We will continue to pursue all avenues to make sure the Minister will not be allowed to dodge accountability any longer.
Who is Dlamini fighting for?
Note to editors: The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by the DA Member of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Karen Jooste MP, during the debate on the SASSA crisis.
Honourable Chairperson, Honourable Members, Fellow South Africans
Die hele SASSA debakel wys duidelik dat die behoeftes van mense wat sosiale toelaes ontvang, die Opper Gesag van die Reg en verantwoordbaarheid geensins vir hierdie Minister belangrik is nie.
She avoids answering questions, she interferes in the administration of her department and has gone out of her way to make sure that grants will again be distributed by CPS.
We know that the Minister ignored all three legal options on the impending crisis which begs the question: who is the Minister fighting for?
Certainly not the 17 million South Africans who rely on social grants just to get by each day.
Verlede jaar op die 7de Junie het ek die Minister gevra of die finansiële waarde van sosiale toelaes genoeg is om die mans, vrouens en kinders wat daarvan afhanlik is te onderhou.
Sy het toe die vermetelheid gehad om te antwoord dat “R753 genoeg is om kos en ander noodsaaklikhede te koop”.
Hierdie antwoord was n klap in die gesig van mense wat sosiale toelaes ontvang. Dit wys duidelik hoe uit voeling die minister is met die harde werklikhede wat baie Suid-Afrikaners daagliks ervaar.
Op grond van hierdie antwoord alleen moes sy afgedank gewees het. In plaas daarvan is sy gelos om net nog skade aan terig.
Honourable Speaker, the crisis is not only about whether these grants will be paid, it is about the quality of these grants.
It costs approximately R640 to feed a small child a basic nutritious meal and R680 to feed a teenager… yet the child grant is only R380!
When unemployment is as high as it is now, these child grants are the only income. It is shared across a household and are used for buying basic foodstuffs.
Our country’s future needs an educated population and a skilled workforce. For the sake of these children, and our country’s economic future, the grants must not only be paid on the first of April but their value has to be increased so mothers can at least feed their children properly.
Die DA is die enigste party wat werklik die behoeftes van mense wat sosiale toelaes ontvang verstaan, wat aandring op verantwoordbaarheid en wat baklei vir beter toelaes.
As die President nie die Minister wil afdank nie, behoort sy die eerbare ding te doen en self te bedank.
Social Grants Crisis: 28 days and counting since DA called for dodging Dlamini to be fired
It has been 28 days since the DA called on President Zuma to fire the Social Development Minister over her inexcusable mismanagement of the social grants crisis and still no action has been taken to hold her accountable for putting the livelihoods of 17 million South Africans at risk.
Since then it has emerged that:
• SASSA has failed to answer questions put to them by the Constitutional Court regarding social grants and the CPS contract;
• SASSA knew they would not be ready to take over the distribution of social grants as far back as April 2016, a full year ago;
• Dlamini has taken every opportunity to block any alternative options that do not involve CPS;
• Three different legal opinions, which stated that SASSA should approach the Constitutional court, were ignored by Dlamini;
• The President’s special advisor, Michael Hulley, has been involved in ensuring CPS would continue to distribute social grants; and
• Dlamini has failed to answer 93% of parliamentary questions regarding the social grants crisis.
The DA have already written to the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to request two investigations, one into the relationship between the Minister and CPS as there seems to be a possibility that Dlamini will, in some way, benefit from the CPS contract, and the second to investigate whether Dlamini wilfully mislead Parliament.
It is blatantly obvious that Dlamini is not fit for office and her contempt for the highest court in our country is matched only by her contempt for the most vulnerable people in our country.
The laundry list of failures by Dlamini is vast and it is high time the President puts the interests of the people and their wellbeing first.
DA requests Public Protector investigation into relationship between Dlamini and CPS
The DA has written to the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to request that she launches an urgent investigation into the relationship between the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), as well as her role in manufacturing this crisis, in conflict with a Court order.
Given that Dlamini has continuously blocked any recommendations for alternative contractors or payment methods that do not involve CPS as well as the media reports this weekend that Zuma’s adviser, Michael Hulley, held special meetings with Dlamini and top officials at SASSA to ensure that the contract with CPS is renewed, the vital question as to why Dlamini is so hell bent on ensuring that CPS continue distributing social grants must be investigated fully by the Public Protector.
This investigation will help shed light on whether Dlamini will either directly or indirectly benefit from this contract with CPS.
The DA has long held that Dlamini manufactured the grants payment crisis in order to force the South African Social Security Agency (SASA) to renew its invalid contract with CPS. SASSA’s CEO, Thokozani Magwaza, claimed that Dlamini blocked him from reporting to the Constitutional Court about the distribution of social grants, and subsequently ensuring that CPS gets the contract.
‘Dodging’ Dlamini has become the personification of the ANC government’s arrogance and utter disdain for the 17 million poor and vulnerable South Africans who depend on social grants each month to put food on the table.
She is no longer fit to hold office, yet the ANC continues to protect her. It is clear that the ANC cares more for ineffective Ministers than for poor South Africans.
The DA will not stand for this and will continue to fight for our people’s right to hold publically elected officials accountable when they fail.
The DA is fighting for your grants
Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, outside the Department of Social Development following a march calling for the payment of social grants to all 17 million grant recipients. The Leader was joined by DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA Shadow Minister and Deputy of Social Development, Bridget Masango, and Lindy Wilson, DA SCOPA Spokesperson, Tim Brauteseth, DA Gauteng North Regional Chairperson, Fred Nel, and DA Gauteng MPL, Makashule Gana.
Fellow South Africans,
The corruption and incompetence of this government have put the monthly grants of 17 million South Africans at risk.
How much more must we take from this ANC government?
How much more damage must they do to our country before they are stopped?
How many of our people must they harm or threaten before we say, as a nation: “Enough. This ends here”?
In less than three weeks’ time, millions of South Africans stand to lose their social grants if an urgent solution to the grant payment crisis is not found.
The President described this as an “inconvenience”. This is not an “inconvenience” for those people who rely on their grants. It is a disaster.
A third of our people depend on grants to survive. 17 million people.
This places a massive responsibility on the shoulders of the government.
The men and women who drafted our Constitution knew that we would grapple with the legacy of Apartheid for years to come. They knew that poverty would continue to affect many people.
And so our Constitution guarantees poor South Africans a safety net.
Our state welfare programme is one of the most crucial functions of our government. For many women, men and children it literally is a matter of life and death.
The R10 billion in social grants that go out to 17 million people each month are often all that stand between them and hunger, sickness and homelessness.
It is our immediate duty to ensure that every single child is cared for, fed, kept healthy and sent to school.
It is our immediate duty to ensure that those who cannot look after themselves – the disabled, the sick, the very young and the very old – are cared for and do not suffer.
When we vote for a government, this is one of the most important tasks we expect them to fulfill.
And from the way the ANC campaigns for elections, they know exactly how important this is.
They make it sound like it is the ANC that gives people their grants. They count on the fact that people are conned into thinking their monthly grant is a gift from the ANC.
This is a lie. Your grant is not a gift from the ANC. Your grant is guaranteed by the Constitution.
The only way you will lose it is if the ANC damages SASSA so much that they cannot even deliver your grant to you. That is what is about to happen.
But the ANC wants you to believe the lie that they give you the grant. This is extremely important to the ANC, because it is all that stands between them and losing an election.
But there is something that is even more important to them than tricking the voters. And that is their greed.
You see, their number one priority is to keep their massive web of power and corruption intact. To keep the right people in the right positions so that their corrupt game of giving and taking – of stealing and stashing – can carry on.
It’s such a full-time job that they can’t even pretend to care anymore.
17 million people’s lives depend on receiving their monthly grants, but this ANC government is too busy playing its crooked games to care.
Bathabile Dlamini had three years to find a solution to distributing these grants. She knew exactly how big this job was, and she knew about the deadline. And she did absolutely nothing.
She knew that, come the 1st of April, 17 million South Africans could stand to lose their only financial lifeline if she didn’t present a solution. And she did absolutely nothing.
She knew that the courts and Treasury and Parliament would have no choice but to ask the same company whose contract was found invalid in 2014, to carry on distributing grants in 2017.
She knew that she was playing a deadly game with the lives of our most vulnerable people, but she just doesn’t care.
You see, Bathabile Dlamini is in Zuma’s corner. And when you’re in Zuma’s corner, there are many things you don’t have to do.
When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t have to account for your actions to Parliament and the people of South Africa.
When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t have to answer difficult questions from the media.
When you’re in Zuma’s corner, you don’t even have to do your job.
Fellow South Africans,
Looking after the poor and the vulnerable may be her job, but Bathabile Dlamini doesn’t care about grant beneficiaries. She has too many other things to worry about.
Things like campaigning. If she’s not busy campaigning for Zuma himself, or for her own position in the ANC Women’s League, then she’s out there campaigning for the president’s ex-wife to take over from him.
In Bathabilie Dlamini’s world, this is what she was elected to do. The poor, the disabled, the sick, the old and the young come second. Number 1 comes first.
The ANC is still counting on selling people the lie that it cares enough to hand out R10 billion in grants every month.
But thanks to Minister Bathabile Dlamini, people now know that this is a lie. The mask has finally slipped. Every day, more and more South Africans see this ANC government for what it really is.
So what more must the ANC do before they are kicked out of government?
They have failed in giving black children an education.
They have failed in creating opportunities for young black South Africans to get ahead in life.
They have failed in keeping our people safe in their communities.
They have captured our state institutions.
They have killed our people in Marikana and Esidimeni.
And now they are gambling with the lives of 17 million vulnerable people.
How much more?
Fellow South Africans,
The ANC wants you to believe that the DA is against social grants. They spread fake stories about how the DA will take away grants once we’re in government.
These are lies. Not only do we fully support the safety net of our social grant system, we even tried to increase the grants with an additional R2.2 billion in the budget.
But the ANC blocked this. The party that says they care about the poor blocked our efforts to send more funds towards social grants. Think about that.
Where the DA governs, people get paid their social grants every month and no one has ever lost their grant. But now it is the ANC who is threatening to take away grants through this crisis.
The DA is fighting to save your grants and make sure they are paid on 1 April. The ANC is fighting to get rich, even if that means you don’t get your grants. That is the simple truth.
The same people who spread these stories about the DA will also try and tell you that we’re exploiting this crisis by speaking out on it.
They try to shut us up by saying we shouldn’t “politicise” an issue like this. But to them I say: Nothing will stop us from doing our job.
This ANC government has turned on the people of South Africa, and it is our job to stand in their way.
Let me be clear on this: If standing up for the people of South Africa and protecting them from a corrupt and uncaring government is uncomfortable for the ANC, then tough luck.
Fellow South Africans,
We are fast running out of time to avert this grants crisis. It is a crisis that is entirely manufactured by the ANC.
The memorandum we are handing over to the Department of Social Development today calls for the following four steps:
- Minister Dlamini must resign immediately. She is incompetent, and cannot serve in any position in government.
- Government must tell us now whether there is an agreement between SASSA and CPS for the delivery of social grants after 31 March 2017.
- If there is such an agreement, Minister Dlamini must let us know what the terms of this agreement are, including the costs and timeframes.
- The Minister must appear before a Parliamentary enquiry to explain her actions and that of her department.
We know by now that President Zuma will not hold Bathabile Dlamini or her department accountable. We know that he does not care enough about the lives of ordinary South Africans to act against her.
But there are enough of us who do care.
There are enough ordinary citizens, enough members of the press, enough opposition party members, enough judges, enough NGOs and enough business leaders to hold President Zuma and his ministers to account.
There are enough of us to do what he and his uncaring government can’t and won’t do.
Together we will make sure the poor and the vulnerable in our society are not abandoned.
And together we will get rid of this government that has become the enemy of the people and replace it with one that cares for and serves the people.
Today we say, Dlamini must go, and she must go now.
Ke a leboga. Thank you.