/ 3 December 2009

DA calls for probe into Malema’s food parcels

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday called for a probe into African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema’s handing out of food parcels in Cape Town.

He apparently handed out 200 parcels on behalf of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) under the ANC’s banner on Wednesday, in a ”clear conflation of party and state”, DA spokesperson on social development Patricia Kopane said in a statement.

”Sassa is a state institution funded by public money and tasked with providing South African citizens who qualify for social security their services in a partisan and objective manner. Sassa is not a political party, which has a particular constituency and agenda.”

The party wanted both the Public Protector and Public Service Commission to look into the matter.

Sassa is a government agency provided for in terms of the Social Services Act of 2004.

According to reports, Malema also gave a R100 000 statutory Sassa grant to Rosie Claasen, a leading member of the ANC who runs a soup kitchen and a home for orphans, when he visited Heinz Park in Phillipi.

The Cape Times reported that opposition parties wanted a probe into Paseka Letsasi, a senior executive of Sassa, who was also a member of the youth league’s national executive committee.

Letsasi accompanied Malema on the visit and Sassa paid for the food parcels.

”The ANCYL’s behaviour is in direct contradiction of the code of conduct for public servants, which explicitly states that public servants must be honest and accountable in dealing with public funds and may only use funds for authorised official purposes,” Kopane said.

League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu could not immediately be reached for comment. — Sapa