Social Grants Crisis: SAPS must investigate suspicious break-ins

22 March 2017

The DA will today write to the Acting National Police Commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, to request that he launches a full investigation into the break-in at the former Director General of the Department of Social Development, Zane Dangor’s home, as well as two other suspicious acts of intimidation that have occurred in recent days.

On Monday, Dangor’s home was approached by two vehicles, and the men in these vehicles broke into his home and attacked his son. However, nothing was stolen and the police have therefore claimed that they could not investigate the incident.

Reports have also stated that the home of the CEO of SASSA, Thokozani Magwaza, was targeted by the same vehicles and the men approached his wife, however, they failed to break-in.

In the same week, the Office of the Chief Justice was also broken into and the assailants fled with 15 computers containing the personal information of judges and the personnel of the Department of Justice.

These three incidents are highly irregular, the timing is equally suspicious and seems to point to an orchestrated attempt of intimidation against the actors that are involved in the SASSA debacle.

The DA has already written to the Public Protector to request an investigation into the relationship between Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, and Cash Paymaster Services, as it is our belief that Dlamini manufactured this social grants crisis, risking the livelihoods of 17 million South Africans, to ensure CPS would continue to distribute grants.

Phahlane must investigate these cases of intimidation in order to establish if there is indeed a link between them, the motivations behind them, and who is responsible.

We cannot allow for those who are responsible for these incidents to get off scot-free, especially when the safety of innocent people are threatened.

Issued by Bridget Masango, DA Shadow Minister of Social Development, 22 March 2017