Former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini Found Guilty of Perjury During Social Grant Inquiry

• Bathabile Dlamini, the former Minister of Social Development, was found guilty of lying under oath on Wednesday, 9 March
• The Johannesburg Magistrate's Court determined that Dlamini gave false testimony during an inquiry that took place in 2017
• Some South Africans are of the opinion that Dlamini is guilty of more than just perjury and that the African National Congress should also be investigated

JOHANNESBURG - Former Minister of Social Development Bathibile Dlamini was found guilty of perjury by the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 9 March.

During a 2017 probe into the social grants crisis in the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Dlamini was later accused of lying under oath, leaving millions of grant recipients wondering if they would ever receive their money.

Magistrate Betty Khumalo who presided over the matter stated that the prosecution had proven without reasonable doubt that Dlamini did in fact lie at the inquiry, according to News24.

Read also

NSFAS' Sibongile Mani persecuted "for being black and poor", student's supporters claim

Last month, Dlamini's lawyers claimed that she should not be found guilty of perjury since Section 38 processes, such as the Ngoepe Inquiry, were not genuine court proceedings, however, Khumalo disagreed with this notion.

TimesLIVE reports that the inquiry was instituted by the Constitutional Court. It was found that Dlamini who is now the president of the African National Congress not only lied during her oral testimony but also gave false evidence in her written statement.

One of the topics investigated by the commission, which was led by retired Gauteng judge president Bernard Ngoepe, was whether Dlamini had appointed workstreams of Sassa to guarantee that Sassa could take over the payment of social grants from Cash Paymaster Services.

The people who were appointed in the workstreams were supposed to report to the Sassa executive, however, it was found that directly reported to the Minister.

Read also

Mthatha woman appears in court for allegedly defrauding Sassa of child grants for 13 years

The court proceedings are still underway to determine what kind of sentence should be handed down to Dlamini. Her lawyer has given submissions as to why Dlamini should not be given a jail sentence for the magistrate to consider.

Dlamini was supported in court by ANC Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction allies which include the suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and Supra Mahumapelo, the former North West Premier.

South Africans react to Bathibile Dlamini's guilty verdict

@ChimutiNhamo said:

"I thought she was going to open the so-called bags of skeletons in the entire #ANC!"

@Confused_Missy said:

"Might as well charge the whole ANC gang."

@monSense5 said:

"I suspect she might be guilty of more than just that."

@Martins19864106 said:

"This one must go to prison and finish and klarr."

@AlfredoMagumane said:

"Agh man they must leave her alone."

@maverickvaks sai:

Read also

EFF says Cyril Ramphosa's move to axe Khehla Sitole exposes ANC's factional failures: "Misfire"

"Is the #RET brigade gonna mobilise for Bathabile now for another round of looting I mean the ground is fertile, poverty, hunger, anger @MYANC @GovernmentZA so Zikhala nje anytime?"

ANCWL President Bathabile Dlamini defends Duduzane and Duduzile Zuma

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that former President Jacob Zuma's children Duduzane Zuma and Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla have come under fire for their alleged role in inciting the violence that has been seen in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng since last week.

The two have been very vocal on social media about their father's arrest and have at times been in support of the protests that took place under the 'Free Zuma' banner.

ANC Women's League president Bathablie Dlamini is defending Zuma's children and says they are an easy target according to a report by EWN. She stated that Duduzane and Duduzile had every right to be upset as they have observed their father's suffering for far too long time.

Source: Briefly News