Dear Editor
This morning the DA Shadow Minister of Social Development, Bridget Masango MP, accompanied by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Social Development, Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL and Bronwynn Engelbrecht MPL laid an urgent complaint at the SAHRC office in Johannesburg against Minister Lindiwe Zulu, the Department of Social Development, SASSA and Postbank for their part in the ongoing social grant payment failures.
In a step towards addressing the persistent crisis surrounding the disbursement of SASSA grants, the DA has lodged a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) following the dire and systemic failures that have left the most vulnerable members of our society in a state of distress.
Our complaint to the SAHRC is founded on the bedrock principles enshrined in the South African Constitution, which unequivocally protect the rights and dignity of every citizen. The core issues at the heart of our grievance encompass:
- Section 10 – The right to human dignity: Delayed grant payments have plunged the poorest among us into profound suffering, impacting their dignity significantly.
- Section 11 – The right to life: Delays in accessing funds for food and medicine have placed the lives of grant recipients at risk, leaving them vulnerable to malnutrition and illness.
- Section 27 – The right to healthcare, food, water, and social security: The failure to ensure timely payments directly infringes upon the rights of citizens to social security, significantly impacting their ability to afford essential food and healthcare.
- Section 28 – The rights of children: Grant payment failures disproportionately affect children, compromising their right to nutrition, shelter, basic health services, and social services.
The ongoing crisis surrounding SASSA grant payments has highlighted the inability of the Department of Social Development to address these pressing issues. It is evident that Minister Lindiwe Zulu and her department are struggling to provide the level of care and support that the most vulnerable members of our society require.
The DA firmly believes that meaningful change can only be achieved through a government that is accountable, compassionate, and committed to the well-being of all its citizens. The recurring failures in the grant payment system underscore the need for urgent reform.
As we file this complaint with the SAHRC, the DA reaffirms its commitment to advocating for a compassionate, efficient government that genuinely cares for its citizens. We believe that real progress can only be achieved through the support of the people combined with economic growth to empower people to be the authors of their own future and less dependent on the state.
To address the concerns raised in our complaint and to promote the well-being of South Africans, the DA outlines the following key proposals:
- Protecting Social Grants: We will safeguard social grants from corruption and increase child support grants to match the official food poverty line;
- Supporting the Elderly: We will promote financial literacy, the auto-enrolment with an opt out options in workplace pension schemes to encourage saving for retirement as this lays the foundation for their financial resilience in their retirement, reducing their reliance on state support. We will also regulate old-age homes to protect against abuse;
- Addressing Unemployment: We will investigate a Basic Income Guarantee, empower the unemployed with cash transfers for basic services, and assess the UIF system for improvements;
- Combatting Hunger: We will expand the list of VAT-exempt food items to ensure essential items remain affordable for the most vulnerable;
- Empowering communities to independently cultivate, market and sell their produce through food gardens supported by food hubs. taking a significant step towards fostering self-reliance and reducing dependence on the state while simultaneously addressing immediate hunger and nutrition concerns.
These policies represent our commitment to the most vulnerable in our society, ensuring that they receive the support and protection they deserve. We urge all citizens to reflect on these systemic issues as they prepare to cast their votes in the upcoming election.
The question remains: Who looks after the vulnerable in South Africa? Who cares for the mother forced to abandon her babies due to a “glitch” in the system? The DA will continue to champion the cause of the most vulnerable and work tirelessly to ensure a brighter and more secure future for all.
Regards
Bridget Masango MP
DA Shadow Minister of Social Development
Tall Honey
Could you perhaps tell me which political party is the ruling party in South Africa?
New York Sixlet
Diary of an Englishman after he moves to South Africa….
**August 1**: Just got transferred with work from London, UK to our new home in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, South Africa. Now this is a town that knows how to live! Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings. I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday. It was beautiful. I’ve finally found my new home. I love it here.
**September 1:** Really heating up now. It got to 31 today. No problem though. Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I’m turning into a sun-worshipper – no blasted rain like back in London! Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. No more mowing lawns for me! Another scorcher today, but I love it here. It’s Paradise !
**October 1:** The temperature hasn’t been below 35 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it’s windy though. Keeps the flies off a bit. Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected. Fell asleep by the pool yesterday. Got third degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed three days off work. What a dumb thing to do. Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!
**October 25:** This wind is a bastard. It feels like a giant fucking blow dryer. And it’s hot as hell! The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged R200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from @#$# Johannesburg. The wife & the kids are complaining.
**October 30:** The temperature’s up around 40 and the parts still haven’t arrived for the fucking air conditioner. House is an oven so we’ve all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bleeding R4 million house and we can’t even go inside. Why the hell did I ever come here?
**November 4:** Finally got the fucking air-conditioner fixed. It cost R1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 35 degrees. Stupid repairman. Fucking thief. If one more smart bastard says ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to fucking throttle him. Fucking heat! By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fucking clothes are soaking fucking wet and I smell like baked cat. Fucking place is the end of the Earth.
**November 9:** Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car. I thought my fucking backside was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fucking behind. Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried bum and baked cat. The Weather report might as well be a fucking recording – hot and sunny. Hot and sunny, Hot and fucking sunny. It’s been too hot to do anything for 2 bleeding months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Fuck!!
**November 15:** Doesn’t it ever rain in this darn place? Water restrictions will be next, so my R5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fucking pool. The only things that thrive in this hell-hole are the fucking flies. You don’t dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little buzzards!
**November 20:** Welcome to HELL! It got to 45 degrees today. Now the air conditioner is gone in my car. The repair man came to fix it and said, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I wanted to shove the car up his backside. Anyway, had to spend the R2,500 of the mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid fool. Fucking PHALABORWA! What kind of sick, demented idiot would want to live here!
**December 1:** WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fucking kidding me, right?