An inquiry that was put in place last year to investigate whether Dlamini should be held personally liable for the costs. Judge Bernard Ngoepe, who chaired the inquiry, criticised the minister in a report he had compiled.
The inquiry probed whether Dlamini had sought the appointment of individuals to lead the various work streams, which would report directly to her. Additionally, the inquiry looked into why the minister did not disclose this information to the court that dealt with the matter.
Ngoepe’s report stated that Dlamini gave instructions for the appointment of work streams and also identified specific individuals to lead these streams.
Although recommendations were not made, he said Dlamini’s explanation on why she did not disclose the appointment of the individuals to work streams was “unconvincing”.
The reason why Dlamini failed to report on the work stream was because she feared being held responsible in her personal capacity for the costs in the Sassa debacle.
The Sassa case, which was brought by non-governmental organisations Black Sash and Freedom Under Law, has been ongoing for several years.
In 2014, the court ruled that the contract Sassa had signed with social grants distributor Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), two years prior, was illegal and invalid. Sassa later returned to court because it was concerned that it would not be able to distribute cash payments to grant recipients because its new distributor, the SA Post Office, was not able to do so.
-News24
