Speech by ANC MPL Pholisa Makeleni in the Western Cape legislature today

9 March 2017

We must raise sharply our disappointment with the DA’s unscrupulousness. Up until now there’re no grant recipients who have not been paid. They want to paint the ANC government with all sorts of things which have not happened. They are waging “swart gevaar” (black danger) tactics. The DA will not survive!!!

The DA led government are hypocrites, they do not believe that vulnerable people must receive universal franchise social security grant.  In contrary the DA believe all people must (in discriminatory) work and contribute towards economic growth then at later qualify for targeted social assistance system.  If this would ever happen, it will be a catastrophic for the nation.

Over the nine financial years SASSA has spent more than 57 billion Rand in 2005/06 and progressively increased it to more than 128 billion in 2015/16. In the Western Cape the total grants went up by 3.09% from 2014/15 to 2015/16, second to Gauteng at 4.69%. The people of the province are not worse off; there is no reason to press the panic button.

We are however concerned about the recent happenings at SASSA, but let us look backwards to understand where we are as the nation.

I want to give the historical context in which the social security system existed in SA pre 1994, as it was summarised by the Lund Committee in which it found that there were problems with access to grants, like:

- Whites, Coloured and Indians received payments monthly while Black Africans were given their allowance every second month;

- Whites, Coloureds and Indians were paid by cheque through the Post Office, but Black Africans were paid in cash at various mobile sites, schools, under the trees or in stores; and

- Pensions for the minority were payable from the date of applications, whereas the Black majority only got theirs from the date of approval, (A review of Social Security Policy in SA, July 2013).

And the amounts payable were disproportional and Blacks receiving much less than their White counterparts.

In 1994 the ANC government inherited a fragmented and discriminatory social security system as illustrated above. The majority of poor South Africans were either excluded or received lower grants. It was an inhumane system that the ANC government had to reverse and save.

Section 27 (1) (c) of the Constitution of SA, states that “everyone has the right to have access to social security including, appropriate social assistance for those who are unable to support themselves and their dependants”.  In Section 27(2) it further states that “the State has an obligation to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of this right”.

It was in accordance with these instructive provisions of the Constitution; the commitment of the ANC government towards alleviating hunger and poverty amongst the people and improving their living standard that the White Paper on Social Welfare Policy was produced in 1997.

The White Paper provided that social security should cover a wide variety of measures to provide cash or in kind benefits or both. It further defined the domains of social security as poverty prevention, poverty alleviation, social compensation and income distribution.

To be more specific: social grants are classified into:

1.   Old Age Grant (OAG);

2.   War Veteran’s Grant (WVG);

3.   Disability Grant (DG);

4.   Grant in Aid (GIA);

5.   Forster Child Grant (FCG);

6.   Care Dependency Grant (CDG); and

7.   Child Support Grant (CSG).

People can also apply for Social Relief of Distress (SROG). A means test determines the approval of their application.

These grants are administered by a state agency, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

These interventions were important in that, they allowed the National Department of Social Development to budget effectively and put in place appropriate measures to ensure that grant recipients receive money monthly without fail. This is a clear demonstration that the ANC government cares about the plight of the people, especially like the poor elderly, people with disabilities, orphans and families in distress.

Despite the periodical armed robberies at pay points, SASSA over the years made sure that grant recipients receive their money at all material times without fail. Other measures of producing smart cards and withdrawal at Shoprite stores have been working successfully.

There is no evidence that suggests beneficiaries are adversely affected. This is a hypothesis. The phenomena of which cannot be proven since the event has not happened. It is driven by those that spread fear for something that does not exist.

We are however inspired by the ANC-led oversight committees of the National Parliament in calling the affected ministries to give assurances and account on the happenings at SASSA.

We remain confident that the contract issues will be sorted out soonest in order to restore confidence in the system.

Notwithstanding this contractual dispute between SASSA and the service provider or the Constitutional Court judgement, both our President Zuma and Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini have assured the nation that all grant recipients will receive their grants at the right time and place – as was done previously. The prophets of doom will eat their humble pie whilst the ANC delivers to the poor and vulnerable South Africans.

As a responsible citizen I call upon all of us in parliament and elsewhere to calm down and allow the national government to do its work and continue to deliver this vital service to the people of South Africa.

Issued by Pholisa Makeleni, ANC MPL, 9 March 2017