Social development minister Bathabile Dlamini "derailed" plans by the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) to take over the payment of grants from Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), according to a report in Business Day on Monday.
The allegations are contained in an affidavit filed at the Constitutional Court on Friday, by Sassa chief executive Thokozani Magwaza. Magwaza had approached the court, asking to file an affidavit defending himself against allegations made by Dlamini.
Dlamini had blamed Magwaza for the crisis in an affidavit she made to the court, setting out reasons why she shouldn't be held personally liable for the social grants crisis.
According to Business Day, Magwaza said Dlamini wrote to Sassa's former chief executive, Virginia Petersen, in 2015, informing her that she'd appointed workstreams which would report directly to her (Dlamini), so that she could "retain control of the... process".
Magwaza reportedly said the workstreams were told to broadly take over the project, and Sassa officials were told not to interrupt them.
"Since July 2015, the minister understood the issues, was in control of the process, and knew or ought to have known of all developments in this important process and matter," Magwaza reportedly said.