Embattled African National Congress (ANC) Women's’ League president Bathabile Dlamini has been found guilty of perjury.

Dlamini stood accused of lying under oath during a 2017 inquiry into the social grants debacle at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) that saw millions of grant beneficiaries unsure if they would receive their money.

Magistrate Betty Khumalo found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the former minister had lied under oath.

Dlamini's defence team argued last month that she should not be found guilty of perjury as Section 38 proceedings, such as the Ngoepe Inquiry, were not formal judicial ones.

The court has since disagreed with that argument.