Ramaphosa: Government is dealing with the SASSA matter

Ramaphosa faced several questions from MPs on the social grants crisis, and whether Dlamini should keep her Cabinet position. 

There is uncertainty whether 17 million social grants beneficiaries will be paid come 1 April 2017.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the Department of Social Development have not signed an agreement with a service provide to take over the payment of social grants once the contract with Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) comes to an end on 31 March 2017.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane told Ramaphosa that the time has come for them to stand on the side of poor South Africans.

"I am here to plead and urge you to say stand with the South Africans who are waiting at home for social grants. Would you support the call to say that Minister Bathabile Dlamini should in fact resign over this crisis over social grants, because it is for South Africans," asked Maimane.

Ramaphosa said the Constitutional Court is dealing with this matter.

"The ministry has approached the court with a particular prayer and it is up to the Constitutional Court. The highest court in our land - a court that is so well endowed with wise brains, wise minds - is going to deliberate on this matter as they did in the past and they are going to make a ruling. Given the time frame that we have to the end of the month, I am absolutely certain the court is going to pull out all stops and deal with this matter with the level of urgency that it requires," said Ramaphosa.

Bathabile faced the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) earlier this week, where she failed to answer questions put to her by committee members.

IFP MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa, who sits on Scopa, told the House that Dlamini's answers left the committee none the wiser. 

"There was no sense of direction. There was no leadership. There was no accountability," said Hlengwa.

Hlengwa asked Ramaphosa why government continues to seek a contract with CPS, whose contract was found to be unconstitutional by the court in 2014.

"Why is the Department of Social Development, and the government by extension, pursuing a Siamese twin relationship with CPS, which is a corrupt company - a bunch of looters, crooks and criminals of the highest order - who have facilitated illegal deductions of social grants and all such manner of things," asked Hlengwa.

Ramaphosa responded by saying the matter is being addressed.

"I think what should be foremost in our minds right now is that a solution should be found to address the challenge we have at hand. The Constitutional Court has now entered the scene on this matter and the matter is now being dealt with at the highest level," said Ramaphosa.