THE Congress of the People (Cope) has welcomed the ruling by the Constitutional Court, handed down today, on the current grants crisis.
Cope national chairman Pakes Dikgetsi said in a statement the apex court did not disappoint but stepped in to protect the constitutional rights of the poor and vulnerable South Africans “where the government is failing.”
“Grant beneficiaries are now guaranteed to receive their grants without the risk of predatory and greedy commercial players, at the behest of government collusion or incompetence, using their personal information to milk them even poorer. “
He said SASSA, CPS and Bathabile Dlamini who was under the protection of President Jacob Zuma, should realise that South Africa was a constitutional democracy “and these cannot be taken for granted or trampled upon willy nilly.
We congratulate and express our gratitude to the litigants who exercised their national duties and responsibilities to request a determination by and protection of the courts in the face of reluctance by an uncaring and unresponsive government.
He said COPE was on record for having publicly raised complaints from beneficiaries and laid a string of criminal charges since 2015 in a number of provinces. “To date the SAPS is failing to bring the perpetrators of these crimes against the poor and vulnerable (to) book.”
COPE was also pleased at the prospects of the court holding the Minister of Social Development “personally accountable for her embarrassing ineptitude and callousness in the management of her portfolio. “
