The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has slammed Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini‚ saying she does not take the welfare of citizens seriously. Costau’s Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said that, as a result Cosatu will be leading a march to Parliament on Sunday‚ amid fears that social grants will not be paid from April 1.
The federation has previously called for Dlamini to resign or be removed from her post by President Jacob Zuma.
Dlamini has been under fire after her department and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) failed to secure a new grant payment method less than a month before the current contract with Cash Paymaster Services lapses on March 31.
Now fears are mounting that on April 1‚ social grant beneficiaries may not receive their money.
Ehrenreich said members of Cosatu‚ grant beneficiaries and community members will be marching to hand over a memorandum to Dlamini on Sunday. They will be asking for a guarantee that grants will be paid to beneficiaries.
"Cosatu is appalled with the current Sassa debacle regarding the possible non-payment of state grants to some 17-million South Africans‚ some who are the poorest of the poor. It’s clear that the Department of Social Development is not taking the welfare of our citizens seriously‚" said Ehrenreich.
He said the federation, its affiliates and alliance partners are planning to show their dismay to "the current state of affairs surrounding the Sassa issue".
Ehrenreich said they were calling on members of society to show solidarity by joining the picket outside Parliament on Sunday.
TMG Digital
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