Eyes of millions turn to Concourt
THE EYES of the 17 million social grant beneficiaries and their millions of dependants turn to the highest court in the land today for a hearing to determine whether they’ll receive their cash come April 1 or not.
This morning the Constitutional Court will hear an application by NGOs Black Sash and Freedom Under Law for grants to be paid next month.
The South African Post Office and Corruption Watch have applied to be friends of the court.
The contract of the current administrators of the grant, the private company Cash Paymaster Service (CPS), expires on March 31.
In 2014 the contract of the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) with CPS was declared invalid by the Constitutional Court due to tender irregularities.
Yesterday, the anxiety felt by the millions of beneficiaries and their dependants was ratcheted up when, for the second time this week, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini missed a deadline to report back to the Concourt.
On Monday, she filed answers with regard to Sassa’s contract with CPS to the Concourt – six hours late.
Yesterday the court asked her to inform them by 3pm why she had missed the deadline.
She missed that deadline – this time by 11 minutes.
In the papers filed yesterday, Dlamini and former acting Sassa chief executive Wiseman Magasela both said they had tried to the best of their abilities to file the papers by the 4pm deadline.
An affidavit submitted by Tim Sukazi, their legal representative, stated the department and Sassa had tried hard to submit their answers on time, but failed because he had to change legal counsel at the last minute.
In his affidavit, Sukazi claimed the papers had been ready by lunchtime, but had to be changed because of inputs from the ministerial task team. He further stated that Magasela’s affidavit was signed only at 7pm.
“I accept that the degree of non-compliance, though relatively slight, has resulted in the court and the other parties being prejudiced because the members of the court and other parties in effect lost the opportunity to read the papers on Monday morning,” Sukazi’s papers read.
In papers filed in the Concourt, Dlamini said she had informed Sassa chief executive Thokozani Magwaza in February to sort out the grant mess during a meeting.
She says: “I understand that Mr Magwaza adjourned the meeting very soon after I left.
“I know he did not heed my advice in that he did not take any urgent steps to redress the situation shortly after the meeting.”
Dlamini claims Magwaza bypassed her and filed papers in the Concourt, but they were withdrawn a day later.
She further claimed he went behind her back and negotiated with the Post Office.
Dlamini also said Magwaza applied for deviation from the National Treasury with the “view to seeking an extension of the current‚ invalid contract with CPS contrary to the advice that had been given to Sassa by its legal team”.