The judgment against the former social development minister demonstrates that there are consequences for failure and dereliction of duties.
The conviction on 9 March for perjury of former Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini must send a stern message to all public officials, including those implicated in State Capture, that there are dire consequences for failing in their duties to the public.
The conviction by the Johannesburg Magistrates Court follows the decision of the Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions to try Dlamini after her false testimony under oath to an inquiry established by the Constitutional Court stemming from the social grants crisis in 2017. This is the first conviction of a former Cabinet Minister for unlawful and criminal conduct committed in the course of duties as Minister.
Dlamini was called to testify before the inquiry in terms of section 38 of the Superior Courts Acts, held to determine several disputes about the administration of social grants by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), which falls under what was Dlamini’s department. In the inquiry, Dlamini testified on the role that she played as political head during the grants debacle, which involved the conclusion of an invalid contract with Cash Paymaster…