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Cosatu is calling for the axing of yet another minister aligned with the Zuma camp.
At a press conference announcing the outcomes of the sitting of Cosatu’s central executive committee this morning, the trade union federation giant called for embattled Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini to resign or be dismissed by President Jacob Zuma.
The call came in light of the crisis at the South Africa Social Security Agency. A bungle with the extension of its contract with Cash Paymaster Services could result in a significant number of social grant beneficiaries not getting paid out on April 1.
“Cosatu is appealing to the president to intervene and heads need to roll at the social security agency. The minister and her team in the department need to take political responsibility for this crisis, be it resigning or being dismissed,” the statement read by general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali stated.
“They have failed to deal decisively with the irregular expenditure and irregular tender procedures that have resulted in the threat to livelihoods of 17 million grant beneficiaries. This is not just an administrative bungling but it is a political own goal that smells of corruption.”
The minister is also the president of the ANC Women’s League, which is believed to be lobbyists of the president. The league has officially endorsed Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to succeed Jacob Zuma as president of the ANC when the party heads to its elective conference in December.
Meanwhile Cosatu last year gave the nod to current deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa. The federation reiterated that call this morning saying that Ramaphosa had “credentials in line with our principles”.
On a lack of visible campaigning for Ramaphosa, the officials claimed that “campaigning is happening on the ground”.
Dlamini-Zuma’s campaign has unofficially gotten off the ground with a number of appearances at various churches.
Last year, Cosatu’s central executive committee called for the axing of Mosebenzi Zwane, who is the minister for the department of minerals and resources and is also believed to be close to Zuma’s lobby group. When asked if Cosatu had engaged the ANC on their calls for Zwane to be dismissed, the response was that a meeting was yet to take place between the two alliance partners whose relationship remains on shaky ground.
Cosatu also announced that, despite concerns relating to the national minimum wage, a delegation would be heading to Nedlac to sign off on the agreement.
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