Johannesburg – The Social Security Agency of South Africa (Sassa) on Monday missed the deadline to file papers to the Constitutional Court to explain its failure to prepare itself to take over payment of social grants to millions of beneficiaries in April.
This comes after the ConCourt last week issued a directive to Sassa to explain, among other issues, who was responsible for deciding that Sassa could not immediately take over the payment of grants and pensions after March 2017, and when that person became aware of that fact.
The court gave Sassa until 4pm on Monday to file its papers.
Sassa spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi, failed to respond to detailed questions on Monday morning on whether the social grants agency would meet the 4pm deadline.
The contract between Sassa and pensions and social grants service provider, Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), comes to an end on March 31, and there has been fears that grants will not be paid from 1 April.
Civil rights organisation the Black Sash has taken Sassa to court in a bid to force full disclosure of costs and arrangements between the Sassa and CPS for the payment of social grants from next month.
Lawyers for Freedom Under Law (FUL), which has asked to be allowed to intervene as co-applicant in the Black Sash's case, and the South African Post Office (SAPO) did file their papers on time on Monday afternoon.