Court officials struggling to find ‘broke’ Bathabile Dlamini

Bathabile Dlamini has been able to give officials representing the Constitutional Court of South Africa the slip, as they attempt to recover the payments she legally owes the state. The 58-year-old was ordered to pay the legal costs of SASSA – and two NGOs – three years ago. But getting Dlamini to cough up has been a difficult task.

Where is Bathabile Dlamini?

The Sunday Times, meanwhile, reports that the contentious ANC figure has been able to dodge the attention of the court’s sheriff: Attempts to locate Dlamini at two of her properties have failed – and she has changed lawyers, making it more difficult to find her at an exact location. The politician was seen in Bloemfontein on Friday, supporting Ace Magashule.

On the other side of the coin, Bathabile Dlamini says she simply ‘cannot afford’ to cover the legal costs, making unverified claims that her ministerial pension has been blocked. The issue has led to a stand-off, as Dlamini continues to avoid the consequences of her ill-fated, eight-year stint as the Social Development Minister.

What is the court case that’s hounding Bathabile Dlamini?

According to the case presented to the Constitutional Court by Black Sash, Dlamini – in her personal executive capacity – acted “unreasonably and negligently” during the contentious contractual fiasco involving Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), the organisation tasked with administering social grants to beneficiaries.

Due to Dlamini’s negligence, which jeopardised the entire grants payment system, the court was forced to extend CPS’s contract for a further six months back in 2018. Dlamini was forced to answer for this oversight with her legal bill being footed by the taxpayer. Dlamini was told to personally pay 20% of Sassa’s legal costs relating to the social grants debacle.

Not the best legal advice we’ve ever heard…

Elsewhere, Bathabile Dlamini had to clarify comments she made over the weekend, claiming that the South African judiciary ‘should listen to the people’ above all else. The ex-minister has backtracked on these remarks.

The statement 'the best judiciary is the judiciary that listens to the people' has been taken out of context but it is correct. The judiciary is the custodian of laws that govern. Those laws are there to serve the people hence your statement is very much correct. From Hlula

— Bathabile Dlamini (@sbahlesonke0) February 20, 2021