Zulu wastes R100 million meant for GBV survivors

Dear Editor

Less than a week after the National Anti-Corruption Hotline (NACH) commissioner, Anele Gxoyiya, revealed that 63.6% of the 2022/23 second quarter complaints were related to incidents of alleged fraud regarding the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), CityPress revealed that Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and her acting director-general Linton Mchunu squandered R100 million meant to assist survivors of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).

Despite the DA first questioning Minister Zulu’s failure to have her Department administer funds from the criminal assets recovery account (CARA) in 2020, she and her acting-DG Mchunu transferred the administration of the funds – meant for GBVF survivor programmes – to the National Development Agency (NDA) at a cost of R6 million, who in turn doled the money out to civil society organisations (CSOs) who should never have been considered for this funding.

The NDA saw fit to give money meant for GBVF programmes to CSOs that did not have addresses, did not have any GBVF-related mandates, and had been nonfunctional for more than a year at the time of receiving the funds. Minister Zulu and her acting DG also saw fit to transfer the funds behind National Treasury’s back.

It is therefore no surprise that GBVF victims saw little to no benefit from the R100 million that was meant for them specifically. Nor is it a shock that the NDA and the Department of Social Development failed to monitor the CSOs or that the money was mismanaged or likely looted – the auditors noted the withdrawal of large sums of money from CSO accounts right after the funds were deposited with no account of what it was used for.

It is clearer than ever that Minister Zulu sees the Department of Social Development – meant to serve the poorest and most vulnerable in our society – as nothing more than her personal piggy bank. It is clear that she does not care one bit about struggling South Africans, starving children, or GBVF survivors. It is also clear that she will do everything in her power to sideline those in her Department that is trying to fulfil its mandate.

The DA has called for Minister Zulu to be fired many times. Every time, there is a wealth of evidence against her – the only wealth in her Department after her callous enablement of mismanagement. We do not expect President Cyril Ramaphosa to do the right thing anymore. We do hope that South Africans will stand up for themselves and boot the ANC government out as a whole in 2024.

Regards

Bridget Masango MP
DA Shadow Minister of Social Development