Deputy social development minister says Sassa recipients should not drink away grants, gets tongues wagging
- Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu has been called out for her "anti-poor" comments
- The minister said women who receive SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants should not spendthem it on alcohol
- South Africans were left annoyed by the remarks with many saying the government is out of touch with reality
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LIMPOPO - Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu has recently landed herself in hot water for her recent comments during a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) campaign.
Source: UGC
She said recipients of SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants should use the money wisely rather than spending them on alcohol.
A video of her controversial comments was shared on Twitter.
Bogopane-Zulu said beneficiaries do not respect the Sassa grants. She claimed that some women use the money for alcohol or to pay stokvels for alcohol instead of buying food.
The deputy minister said despite some women raising poverty and unemployment as a concern, they admitted to drinking and brewing their own alcoholic concoctions when they could not afford to buy alcohol.
Bogopane-Zulu said the only way to fight FASD in the community is by women staying away from alcohol while they are pregnant.
She said no amount of alcohol is safe for an unborn child, according to TimesLIVE. Her comments caused quite a stir on social media and left many angered.
South Africans react to the remarks:
@MadgersUnited said:
“Deputy Minister explains how misinformed and out-of-touch government employees falsely attribute the habit of a few to the overwhelming majority. This statement is not supported by evidence - not here, nor elsewhere in the world. Is this the best deputy we have?”
@wheresalecia commented:
“You should be ashamed of yourselves. A whole deputy minister at that. All studies show how women especially are actually using social grants to feed their families. This government shows itself every day that they are just like the DA and anti-poor.”
@UberMimz_15 posted:
“It’s the audacity to speak on this issue when you give people a fraction of what they need to live, while your comrades are looting millions? How about you guys start respecting our tax and use it to better the country?”
KZN health MEC critiques high number of young mothers, over 18k babies born between 2019 & 2020
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported the Health MEC for KwaZulu-Natal Nomagugu Simelane disclosed the startlingly high number of girls affected by HIV, and teenage pregnancy.
She was speaking at a three-day youth conference at Impaphala in Nkandla on Saturday 18 June, and called for serious intervention.
The MEC said girls in the province aged between 10 to 17 had given birth to 18,550 babies during 2019 to 2020 financial year.
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Source: Briefly News
