Cosatu to march to Parliament over social grants

Trade union federation Cosatu has slammed Social Development Minister‚ Bathabile Dlamini‚ saying she did not take the welfare of citizens serious.

The trade union’s Western Cape secretary‚ Tony Ehrenreich‚ said 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.

Dlamini has been under fire after her department and South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) failed to secure a new grant payment method just less than a month before their 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.

• Dlamini's 'smaller nyana' shows she 'cannot serve in any position in government'‚ say oppositionIn the wake of Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini's appearance before Parliament's public accounts committee‚ opposition parties have increased their calls for her removal over the social grants debacle. 

Ehrenreich‚ said his union members‚ 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 is the poorest of the poor. It’s clear that the Department of Social Development is not taking the welfare of our citizens serious‚” said Ehrenreich.

He said his union‚ its affiliates and alliance partners are planning to show their dismay to “the current state of affairs surrounding the SASSA issue.”

• Dlamini sparks angry war of words in Western Cape legislatureBathabile Dlamini was the target of a full-scale roasting by senior Western Cape DA politicians on Thursday for her handling of the social grants debacle. 

Ehrenreich said they were calling on members of society to show solidarity by joining the picket outside Parliament on Sunday.

Cosatu is in alliance with the ANC and South African Communist Party. The trade union federation has previously called for Dlamini to resign or be removed from her post by President Jacob Zuma.

Ironically‚ the ANC in the Western Cape legislature on Thursday defended both Dlamini against the DA during a debate.