SASSA's report on how social grants will be paid creates more confusion than clarity. SASSA and GCIS are urged to modify the Communication and Marketing Plan to help beneficiaries better understand the implications of the payment options and transition processes.
[Media Statement]

Concerns that 'hybrid' model options proposed by SASSA remain unclear and could cause further delays, even possibly resulting in the extension of the current CPS SASSA contract.
[Media Statement]

Auditor-General and Panel of Experts provide second report to Constitutional Court
[Download Report]

Black sash urges the IMC to fast-track SASSA, SAPO deal and requests concrete results by 21 November 2017
[Media Statement]

The Black Sash and CALS are encouraged by the joint initiative of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Portfolio Committee on Social Development to keep the talks active between the Minister of Social Development, SASSA and the South African Post Office.
[Media Statement]

The Constitutional Court makes a new order in the matter brought by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) on behalf of the Black Sash Trust against SASSA, the Minister of Social Development and Cash Paymaster Services. The Court also declares that there should be a further inquiry into Minister Bathabile Dlamini’s personal liability for the social grant crisis earlier this year.
[Media Statement on Concourt Order on Social Grant Enquiry]
[Media Statement on Section 38 Enquiry]

Black Sash Trust and social grant beneficiaries argue for leave to appeal an earlier decision by the North Gauteng High Court on an application brought by Net1 and some of its affiliate companies against the Minister of Social Development and SASSA.
[Media Statement]

CPS’ profits, of R1,1 billion before tax, was revealed in an audited statement filed in compliance with a Constitutional Court order made in the AllPay 2 judgment handed down in 2014.
[Media Statement]

The ConCourt rules that the 'invalid' contract of Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) to pay SASSA grants will be extended for a period of 12 months under the same terms and conditions and with strict supervision, meaning that there would be no disruption to grant payments on April 1st.
[Media Statement]

“Who is ultimately responsible for holding the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) accountable?”
[Media Statement]

“Who will be responsible for making social grant payments from 1 April 2017 and will the grants be paid at all?”
[Media Release]

The Black Sash, civil society partners, and grant beneficiaries, host a service at St. George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, which is followed by a Silent Stand on the steps.
[Media Release]

On 5 October 2015, two funeral insurers, Channel Life Limited and Sanlam Developing Markets Limited, made an urgent application to the North Gauteng High Court to interdict SASSA from implementing the funeral clean-up project. On 6th May 2016, The Black Sash Trust makes an application to be admitted in the matter as amicus curiae with the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) as their legal representatives.
[Media Release]

Black Sash submission on the protection of social grants from unlawful deductions
[Read the Submission]

The Black Sash initiates the Speak Out strategy in Franschoek, Western Cape as part of the build-up to planned mass action in October 2015. This is followed by various other Speak Outs in the Western Cape including in Genadendal and Botrivier.

The Black Sash is admitted as Amicus Curiae (Friend of the court) by the Concourt and seeks swift resolution of the new tender process in the interest of grant beneficiaries.
[Media Release]

The Black Sash and strategic partners attend the SASSA Bid briefing meeting in Pretoria to appoint a new service provider for the administration of social grants nationally. The RFP reflected the Ministerial Task Team recommendations to protect the bank accounts of social grant beneficiaries/ recipients from EFT debit deductions on behalf of third party creditors

Findings and recommendations on the MTT's work thus far, made in a comprehensive report and presentation to Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, at Parliament.

Black Sash sends a letter to SASSA, making objections explicit which include:

• no provisions made for illiterate beneficiaries,
• toll free numbers are often not functional,
• grant beneficiaries carry the cost of making the calls from cell phones, and
turn-around times are not clearly spelled out for recourse to be actioned.

Furthermore, the recourse system is completely reliant on CPS, with little or no intervention from SASSA, to arbitrate disputes between other NET1 subsidiaries and grant beneficiaries.

Ministerial task team meeting with the South African Reserve Bank to explore ways to stop unlawful, undocumented and unauthorised debit deductions from the bank accounts of SASSA beneficiaries.

The Black Sash made a Submission to the Portfolio Committee for Trade and Industry on the National Credit Amendment Bill. Key recommendations in our submission included the request to prevent the grant amount received from government to be considered as collateral for loans (that were unlawful), and also to criminalise lenders who then encumber these grants as collateral.
[Read the Submission]

The Black Sash, along with partner organisations and supporters of the STOP SASSA-CPS DEBITS CAMPAIGN, meets with government officials to register the extent and impact of the crisis facing millions of SASSA beneficiaries and their households.
[Media Release]

Black Sash warns against the erosion of the social grant system, in a media release titled “Closing Pandora’s Box”.
[Media Release]

An urgent request is sent to the Reserve Bank of South Africa to act in the public interest and issue a written directive in terms of Section 12 of the National Payment Systems Act (1998) to demand that Payments Association of South Africa (PASA), BankServ and Grindrod immediately refrain from implementing debits from the bank accounts into which social grants are paid by Cash Paymaster Services. A letter is also sent to the Department of Social Development with a request that it take steps to prevent Cash Paymaster Services and Grindrod Bank from processing debit deductions from the accounts of grant beneficiaries.

Meeting with SASSA CEO and the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) to discuss the large scale, unprecedented deductions from social grants by money lenders as well CPS’s practice of selling airtime to grant beneficiaries. SASSA undertakes to address these concerns and close the loopholes in the existing service level agreement.

A flyer titled “You and Your Rights: Lawful Deductions from your Grants”, developed in workshops with our partners (including advice offices), is widely distributed.

The CEO of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and senior representatives of the Black Sash meet to discuss unauthorised third-party deductions from beneficiaries and other concerns.