Black Sash says ConCourt must oversee grants contract. Sassa agrees

The Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) will not oppose an application by lobby group Black Sash for the reinstatement of the Constitutional Court’s oversight role over the social grant payment contract.

The parties have also agreed to provide all information requested by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng in a court directive on Wednesday.

“The department has always contended that the Constitutional Court is best placed to deal with the matter at hand because social assistance in SA is a human right‚ enshrined in the Constitution‚” spokeswoman Lumka Oliphant said in a statement on Thursday. “Minister Bathabile Dlamini has instructed the department and Sassa to work around the clock to provide the necessary information required.”

Oliphant said the department and Sassa were committed to providing the public with further updates on progress in this regard. Mogoeng has instructed Sassa to inform the court whether it has entered into a new contract with Cash Paymaster Services and‚ if so‚ to provide full details of the agreement.

The chief justice also wanted to know who had decided that Sassa would be unable to take over the payments of social grants on April 1‚ as well as when the decision was made and why the Constitutional Court was not informed‚ among other things. He gave Sassa until Monday to provide the court with full details of any agreement.

The Black Sash’s application will be heard on March 15. The court dismissed the DA’s application to intervene in the matter‚ saying this was not in the interest of justice at the moment. Oliphant accused the DA of being opportunistic by trying to intervene.

Non-profit organisation‚ Freedom Under Law‚ has also applied to intervene and this application will be heard on Wednesday next week.

Oliphant reiterated on behalf of Dlamini that social grants would be paid on April 1. – Tiso Black Star Group Digital/BusinessLIVE