ARCHBISHOP CALLS FOR BATHABILE DLAMINI'S RESIGNATION

Archbishop calls for Bathabile Dlamini's resignation Jeanette Chabalala, News24 | News 24 24 minutes ago Bloemfontein – Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Njongonkulu Ndungane on Friday called for the resignation of Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini following her comments that social grant beneficiaries can live on R753 per month. Ndungane described the claims as an "insult" to the dignity of the poor and called for her to resign in light of her comments. Dlamini stated in a reply to a DA parliamentary question that social grant beneficiaries should be able to live on R753 per month to buy "adequate food as well as additional non-food items". "Minister Dlamini shows through this statement that she is completely out of touch with reality. Indeed, her remark is akin to the famous one by Marie Antoinette on the eve of the French Revolution who, when told there was no bread for the poor, dismissively told them to eat cake," said Archbishop Ndungane in a statement. "In most countries in the world such an insensitive statement would be greeted by outrage, and demands for the resignation of the minister concerned." He also said the current drought was most felt by the poor, and that they had no spare capacity to absorb unexpected price increases. "The options for people who are already living with less-than-full stomachs are to eat less, or sink even deeper into debt. Neither is a sustainable solution, and it is an insult for Minister Dlamini to even suggest that it is possible to live sustainably on this amount, never mind emphatically declare that it is." SHARE THIS