Johannesburg – Former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has been admitted to the hospital to receive medical attention after testing positive for Covid-19.
This comes a day after it was announced that she would be facing charges of perjury related to her testimony on the social grants crisis.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in Gauteng has decided to prosecute Dlamini, who is also the president of the ANC Women’s League.
Dlamini is accused of giving false evidence during the inquiry – which was established at the behest of the Constitutional Court – into the social grants crisis in 2017.
Black Sash, which was represented by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) presented evidence that Dlamini had failed in her duties to ensure that the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) was equipped to take over paying grants when an invalid contract with Cash Paymaster Services came to an end.
Judge Bernard Ngoepe found that Dlamini had not only failed in her duties but had also failed to disclose information to the court for fear of being held liable for the crisis in her personal capacity.
The ANC, in a statement, wished the National Executive Committee (NEC) member and Women’s League President, Dlamini a speedy recovery.
“Comrade Bathabile’s courage and resolve to beat COVID-19 should inspire all of us to stand together against this pandemic. We also wish many other South Africans who are battling with COVID-19 well. We must continue to defend each other and protect one another. We ask all South Africans to show compassion and solidarity with those who are infected and to offer support to all families who have lost their loved ones due to COVID-19. We must all continue to practice basic health protocols and adhere to regulations,” the ruling party further said in the statement.
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