POLITICS

Thousands of social assistance applications dumped in FState field - Patricia Kopane

DA PC says these include sensitive and confidential information such as IDs and details of abused children

Thousands of Social Development applications dumped in field: DA demands MEC to urgently investigate

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State has written to the MEC for Social Development, Butana Kompela, to demand that he urgently probes the illegal dumping of thousands of confidential applications seeking social assistance which the DA found in an open field in Thaba Nchu.

"The DA Team One SA Spokesperson for Jobs, Geordin Hill-Lewis and I were conducting an oversight inspection at the failed waste recycling plant in the area, when we made the shocking discovery of thousands of applications and reports strewn across the field. The recent ones were dated October 2018" says the DA Free State Premier Candidate, Patricia Kopane.

Please click here for a video of Kopane and Hill-Lewis at the site.

Kopane says that MEC Kompela will have to conduct an urgent investigation to get to the bottom of this matter and hold those responsible for carelessly dumping the documents accountable.

It is unacceptable that officials at the department of social development can be so reckless with confidential information which should not be seen by the public.

Some of these applications and reports include:

IDs and details of abused children must be stored securely and not dumped in an open veld.

This can potentially expose children to unscrupulous individuals and the complainants can fall prey to information or identity theft.

Kopane says: "This is a gross violation of the Child Care and Protection Act which makes provision for the care and protection of children and young persons and for connected matters.

It is therefore crucial that such documents and IDs, some of which were not certified, are stored in a secure place which will prevent anyone taking advantage of personal information and using it to open bank accounts or committing fraud.

It is heart-breaking is that the applications were for abused children and complaints without any source of income and who turned to the department in the hopes that their situation would be turned around.

South Africa is riddled with corruption and unacceptably high levels of crime but the ANC government doesn’t care enough about the well-being of South African citizens".

The DA will be closely monitoring this matter and ensure that those who are behind these unscrupulous actions are held accountable.

We will also be handing over the copies of the dumped documents to assist the MEC in investigating whether applications have been processed before the documents were dumped, or whether they were dumped to avoid it being processed.

"The sight of the thousands of documents strewn across the field was a stark reminder of the failing ANC's careless attitude towards the most vulnerable individuals in our communities. The DA will not tolerate this and we will also conduct our own investigation" says Kopane.

Pleas click here and here to download pictures.

Statement issued by Patricia Kopane MP, DA Free State Premier Candidate, 7 January 2019