How Dlamini dodged questions at social grants inquiry

Here is how Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini evaded questions at the inquiry into the social grants crisis.

Since the start of the inquiry Dlamini was described as being "unresponsive and evasive".

Here is a list of instances where Dlamini made snide remarks instead of answering questions.

1. She was asked to comment on former social development director general Zane Dangor's claim that she never took advice from him in relation to the workstreams she had set up to take over the payment of grants.

She replied: "It depends how you define meetings." She then refused to answer the question.

2. When asked about former SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) chief executive Thokozani Magwaza‚ her response was: "Waqala nini? (When did he start?).

3. She was also asked whether Dangor and Magwaza had been senior officials at the social development department and Sassa respectively. Dlamini said: "Seniority goes with responsibility."

4. When Dlamini was asked to tell the inquiry how her department had acquired the leaders of the workstreams‚ she gave a long-winded answer that bore no relation to the issue. When pressed to answer the question‚ she said: "I don't like to be pushed around."

5. In her several attempts of evading questions‚ Dlamini said to one of the lawyers: "There are nuances you are making that I don't like."