Mr Speaker, the Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, needs to account to this Parliament for the chaos surrounding the reregistration of social grant recipients. Reports have revealed that the reregistration process is in complete disarray, contrary to repeated assurances of "no interruptions" made by the Minister and the chief executive officer of the South African Social Security Agency, Sassa. Beneficiaries at the West End Community Centre in Port Elizabeth, for example, found at automated teller machines last week that there was no money in their accounts.
Minister Dlamini has publicly stated that her department wants to allay the fears of our people and assure them that the grants will not be cut following the tender awarded to Cash Paymaster Services to administer the social grants across all nine provinces. However, this was not the reality for hundreds of grant recipients recently. Beneficiaries reportedly said that nobody had informed them about the changes. According to beneficiaries, Sassa officials were very rude and impatient with them and had no control over the situation. Elderly recipients were trampled during the panic and mayhem.
The Minister must explain what steps will be put in place to ensure that similar episodes are prevented. Grants constitute the only source of income for many families and act as an immediate buffer against poverty and malnutrition. It is of absolute importance that the re-registration process ensures uninterrupted grant payouts and more efficient systems in the spirit of the Batho Pele principle. [Applause.]