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Ten searing quotes from the bruising social grants battle in the Constitutional Court

It was a bruising day in court for Advocate Andrew Breitenbach SC — representing Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) on Wednesday.

Dlamini had just a day earlier assured the nation‚ while speaking in Parliament‚ that there was no grants crisis.

“I would like to reiterate the assurance of President Jacob Zuma that there is no crisis at Sassa‚” Dlamini told MPs.

But that was not the picture that emerged as the debacle was scrutinised in the Constitutional Court on Wednesday. Here are 10 quotes from court that explain why:

“I genuinely want to understand… How do you get to the level where [your clients] make themselves look like they are incompetent? How did we get to this level that can be characterised as absolute incompetence?”

– Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in a biting question directed at Advocate Andrew Breitenbach’s client‚ Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa).

 

“I’m getting more and more frustrated the more I listen to you.”

– Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to Advocate Andrew Breitenbach SC.

 

“With due respect‚ that is simply incomprehensible.”

– Advocate Geoff Budlender SC‚ representing Black Sash on Minister Dlamini’s affidavit supposedly explaining her role in the grants debacle.

 

“Let’s cut to the chase. Your client wants more money; is that not what it really is?”

– Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to Advocate Alfred Cockrell SC‚ representing CPS.

 

“I cannot enlighten you why the minister did not do her job.”

– Advocate Andrew Breitenbach SC‚ representing Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini and Sassa.

 

“One seeks in vain [from] the minister… what she did‚ why she did it‚ what she knew and why she did what she did.”

– Advocate Geoff Budlender SC‚ representing Black Sash

 

“It sounds like [the minister] sat idly by and waited to be informed; why did she sit and wait to be informed? One expects that the minister would have had her finger on the pulse.”

– Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga

 

“This is a crisis. We must do whatever we can to intervene‚ to ensure that we don’t proliferate the crisis.”

– Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng

 

“We are submitting that there is a crisis in this country and this crisis needs to be dealt with. Sapo & the Post Bank are able to provide the service in a period of a month … Sapo is waiting in the wings.”

– Advocate Aslam Bava SC‚ representing the Post Office

 

“The bid process [was] particularly concerning. Was there constructive contempt of this court‚ or merely gross incompetence?”

– Advocate Carol Steinberg‚ representing Corruption Watch

 

 

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