JOHANNESBURG, March 8 (ANA) – More organisations are queuing up to join the court action initiated by Black Sash to force full disclosure of costs and arrangements between the South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) for the payment of social grants from next month.
Freedom Under Law (FUL) is the latest body to seeks to join Black Sash’s court application.
This week Black Sash asked the court to compel both Sassa and Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini to ensure that the rights of beneficiaries would be protected when the agency entered into a new contract with CPS.
“Freedom Under Law (FUL) is asking to intervene in the application by the Black Sash concerning the arrangements between the South African Social Services Agency (Sassa) and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) for the payment of social grants after 31 March 2017,” said FUL Director, Dani Cohen, in a statement late on Tuesday.
The move came after the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it had filed an application asking the Constitutional Court to permit it to join the matter regarding the readiness of Sassa to payout social grants to 17-million beneficiaries after the CPS contract ends in three weeks.
The DA is seeking a declaratory order from the court confirming that Social Dlamini, Sassa’s CEO and Sassa itself had violated their constitutional duties.
FUL said it supports the relief sought by the Black Sash which would subject the interim contracting with CPS to supervision by the Court.
The organisation which prides itself in promoting democracy and advancing understanding of and respect for the rule of law said it also wants the court to order the disclosure of all documentation relating to the interim contracting between SASSA and CPS.
FUL also wants CPS to be prevented from benefitting from the 2012 contract, declared by the Constitutional Court to be invalid.
“Specifically, CPS should be entitled to charge no more under the interim contract than it is currently charging under the 2012 contract and the proposed interim contract must be in place no longer than necessary for a tender for the distribution of social grants to be advertised, adjudicated and awarded.”
FUL said it seeks to intervene on the basis that the matter has clear implications for the rule of law and the obligations of a constitutional democracy.
“A ruling of the highest court of the land, carefully structured so as best to protect the rights and interests of the most vulnerable in our country, has been cynically disregarded. Instead the security of those dependent on social grants has been recklessly imperilled in a bid to ensure the interim contracting process escapes scrutiny and oversight.”
– African News Agency (ANA)
