The DA will today report Minister Bathabile Dlamini to the Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkwhebane, for misleading Parliament in a recent response to a DA Parliamentary question.
In a reply to a DA Parliamentary question, Dodging Dlamini stated that “SASSA has, after following a procurement process, contracted Q Link […] for a period of 5 years.”
In her reply, the Minister states that Q Link is a service provider which manages “payroll deductions for SASSA as well as government”.
However, the Minister’s written response was contradicted by National Treasury as well as SASSA executives in Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and again in yesterday’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development.
When the contract with QLink was raised in Tuesday’s SCOPA meeting, Treasury said that a contract could not have been entered because Treasury had declined the application for the expansion of scope for QLink.
Both the Acting SASSA CEO, Pearl Bhengu, and SASSA CFO, Tsakeriwa Chauke, vehemently denied that a contract had been entered into with QLink, on the grounds of Treasury’s instruction. This was again confirmed by Ms Bhengu in Wednesday’s Portfolio Committee meeting on Social Development.
So, we now have a situation where SASSA officials and Treasury say no contract with QLink has been entered into, while on the other hand, the Minister is claiming that there is a contract.
This either points towards the Minister being dishonest and misleading Parliament or she entered into a contract with QLink without following proper channels of consultations. Her lack of transparency or willful misleading of Parliament highlights the importance of the role of SCOPA in holding executives to account and they must continue to do so.
The DA has therefore referred this matter to the Public Protector to get to the bottom of the confusion surrounding the QLink contract.
The DA also calls on the Minister to make the details of the contract available to the Portfolio Committee, if the contract indeed exists.
Minister Dlamini and SASSA must stop playing games with the lives of the 17 million South Africans who depend on them.
SAA CEO may not have signed contract yet
Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba, committed in his 14 point plan to appoint the SAA CEO by 31 July 2017. This was a key ‘action item’ in the plan and a condition imposed by some of SAA’s lenders.
Gigaba assured the country on numerous occasions that Mr Vuyani Jarana had been appointed as the CEO:
• On 3 August 2017, he said that ‘Vuyani Jarana has been appointed South African Airways Chief Executive Officer. He will commence his duties after his current employer has officially released him;’
• The next day, he said that ‘I think it is appropriate to start with an announcement that I am sure you all have heard that we have appointed the CEO of SAA yesterday;’ and
• On 25 August 2017, he said that ‘The good thing is that there is a new CEO who has been appointed. We are paying close attention to strengthening the board of SAA and appointing the requisite skills on the board.’
These assurances seem to have been contradicted by SAA Board Chair, Dudu Myeni, on 23 August 2017 when she informed Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) that she did not have a date for when Jarana would take up the CEO position. Myeni told SCOPA that ‘He has accepted the offer’ and that ‘We are hoping that he will start on the first of September.’
It is quite astounding that the SAA Board Chair does not seem to have knowledge of any signed contract which leads us to believe that Mr Jarana may not have signed the contract yet.
The CEO’s appointment is important because if the CEO is not appointed, this could result in a default that would require all remaining R14.6 billion of bank loans to be repaid immediately.
SAA has not had a permanent CEO for more than two years and has run at massive losses amounting to R6.1 billion during that period. It is critical that a permanent CEO be put in place to take control and implement robust cost-cutting and revenue improvement measures.
Social Grants Crisis: DA calls for immediate Parliamentary enquiry into ‘Dodging Dlamini’
Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, has yet again dodged accountability before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) today, as she failed to adequately account for the social grant crisis and even tried to make an early exit.
The DA once again reiterates our call for a full Parliamentary enquiry into the social grants fiasco as Dlamini’s astounding inability to provide clear answers on the terms of the new CPS contract, the new cost, or on the resignation of the DG, cannot be allowed to stand. By not answering these key questions Dlamini wishes to escape accountability and the DA will not allow this.
Dodging accountability has now become the hallmark of the ANC and comes straight from the top as just yesterday President Zuma instructed officials to stop answering questions on SASSA.
The President’s lack of action and refusal to fire Dlamini is a clear indication of how little he and the ANC care for the millions of vulnerable South Africans who rely on social grants. It is, therefore, the responsibility of Parliament to investigate the social grants crisis to ensure that Minister Dlamini is held accountable.
The DA has already submitted an application in the Constitutional Court, to pursue accountability for those who have created this crisis and put 17 million South Africans at risk. We have sought a declaratory order from the court confirming that the Minister of Social Development, the CEO of the SASSA and the SASSA, violated their duties in terms of Sections 165 (4) and (5) and Section 195 of the Constitution.
The ANC cannot continue to protect ineffective ministers at the expense of poor South Africans. The DA also believe that Minister Dlamini has violated her oath of office by failing to perform the functions of her office with honour, dignity and to the best of her ability and we are seeking a declaration from the court in this regard.
The DA will be marching, en masse, to Dlamini’s office on Friday, 10 March 2017, to send a clear message that her contempt for the poor will not be left unanswered.
The DA will continue to pursue all avenues possible to make sure that Dlamini and all those responsible for this crisis are held accountable to the full extent of the law.
Minister Dlamini summoned to appear before SCOPA
The DA welcomes the decision by SCOPA to summon the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, to account for the SASSA grants crisis.
Following the farcical SASSA engagement with SCOPA on Tuesday, which the minister chose to ignore, the DA urged the SCOPA chair to call the Minister alone to appear before the committee on Tuesday 7 March.
SCOPA sent a letter to the minister late on Tuesday evening requesting her attendance and are now awaiting a response.
The DA calls on the Minister to summon the courage to appear before SCOPA, face the music and come clean on her plans, or lack thereof, to ensure that the 17 million poor and vulnerable South Africans who depend on social grants each month receive their grants on 1 April 2017.
Since this crisis became public knowledge, Minister Dlamini has evaded every opportunity for accountability. She has continuously prioritised campaigning for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, rather than prioritising the millions of poor South Africans who depend on her to put their interests first.
If the Minister fails to accept this invitation, she will once again prove that the ANC does not care about the poor and vulnerable in our society.
Date: Tuesday 7 March 2017
Time: 09:00
Venue: V454; Fourth Floor, Old Assembly Building, Parliament