DA lodges complaint with SAHRC over non-payment of grants
Updated | By Anastasi Mokgobu
The DA has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission against Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu over the delay and non-payment of social grants in September.
![DA Shadow Minister of Social Development, Bridget Masango MP, accompanied by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Social Development, Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL and Bronwynn Engelbrecht MPL laid an urgent complaint at the SAHRC office in Johannesburg against Minister Lind](https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/DA_Shadow_Minister_of_Social_Development_Bridg.width-800.jpg)
The party also included the South African Social Security Agency and Postbank in its complaint.
The move comes after some 600,000 grant beneficiaries were left with empty pockets due to what has been described as a technical glitch at the state-owned bank.
The figure represents some 10% of the more than 5 million beneficiaries who access their grants through Postbank.
The DA's Bridget Masango, who lodged the complaint at the commission’s offices in Johannesburg on Tuesday, said the government is failing to protect the rights and dignity of its citizens.
"The core issues at the heart of our grievance encompass the right to human dignity. Delayed grant payments have plunged the poorest among us into profound suffering, impacting their dignity significantly.
“Delays in accessing funds for food and medicine have placed the lives of grant recipients at risk, leaving them vulnerable to malnutrition and illness.
Masango says the latest grant payment debacle also affected vulnerable South Africans’ right to healthcare, food, water, and social security.
“The failure to ensure timely payments directly infringes upon the rights of citizens to social security, significantly impacting their ability to afford essential food and healthcare. Grant payment failures disproportionately affect children, compromising their right to nutrition, shelter, basic health services, and social services," added Masango.
"The DA demands that the Gauteng Department of Social Development urgently engage their national counterparts, the Department of Social Development and the Post Bank, to fix this mess and ensure that all SASSA beneficiaries receive their monies." @RefiloeNtsekhe pic.twitter.com/H34RhzUgFk
— DA Gauteng (@DAGauteng) September 19, 2023
ALSO READ
![Listen to more local news below Jacaranda](https://turntable.kagiso.io/images/Listen_to_more_news_Jac_3.original.png)
Show's Stories
-
LISTEN: Karen Zoid reveals whether Afrikaners are still 'plesierig'
Karen Zoid is a legendary South African performer and a household name.
The Drive with Rob & Roz 8 hours ago -
LISTEN: Recipe for the official Drive mocktail!
This is what the Drive with Rob and Roz team taste like!
The Drive with Rob & Roz 10 hours ago