Johannesburg – The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday it would detail further action steps it would take against Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, to hold her to account for the social grants crisis.
This comes after the Constitutional Court said on Wednesday that a crisis threatened welfare grant payment and suggested it could consider a declaratory order to lay the blame on Dlamini.
The court was hearing an application by the Black Sash Trust for the court to resume its supervisory role over grant payments as the contract between the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) was coming to an end on March 31.
The court discharged itself from this supervisory role in 2015, after Sassa reported that it was well on its way to take over grant payment this year.
The DA said it will also reveal how Dlamini's disregarded information presented to her by legal counsel, which could have possibly prevented this crisis.
"With 15 days until the expiry of the illegal contract between Sassa and CPS, Dlamini has chosen to ignore all the advice given to her and in the process, she has threatened the livelihoods of 17 million poor and vulnerable South Africans," said the DA in a statement.
CPS proposes for a new 12 to 18 month contract with Sassa that includes an inflation-adjusted increase, but declines to reveal the terms and figures of the envisaged new contract – only saying it would be calculated on a lump sum instead of payment per beneficiary.
Even though the Black Sash has no issue with a new contract, it wants the court to compel CPS to continue to pay grants for an interim period and to hold that it do so on a no benefit basis, and provided that it's in line with the Constitution.
The court reserved judgement on the matter. Meanwhile, the National Freedom Party (NFP) rejected the submission made by the Department of Social Development and Sassa on social grants crisis at the Constitutional Court.
"The NFP notes the proceedings of the Constitutional Court and Black Sash thus submits that ConCourt should reject any attempts by Bathabile [Dlamini] to put undue and illegal pressure on ConCourt to disregard its initial ruling on CPS/Sassa contract," NFP spokesperson, Sabelo Sigudu said.
"Further, disregard Post Office as option, amongst others, citing what seems as limitations of South African Post Office vs CPS as this is nothing but disregard of our highest court in the land."