EFF threatens legal action if Dlamini doesn’t comply with ConCourt ruling

The EFF has accused Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini of refusing to give the South African Post Office an opportunity to distribute social grants. The party said the minister was trying to “frustrate the process” in an attempt to bring back the Cash Payments Services (CPS).

“This is despite the Constitutional Court judgment which found that CPS contract with Sassa was illegal, they cost taxpayers unnecessary exorbitant fee of R170 million a month to administrate social grants and has too many corrupt dealings,” it said.

While the Constitutional Court extended the CPS contract for a year, the EFF said it would not allow another extension, further saying the minister had “wasted” seven months of the given 12 months doing “absolutely nothing”.

“The minister and Sassa decision to refuse Post Office the opportunity to distribute social grants on the basis of lack of capacity are unfounded and ill-advised. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have evaluated Post Office readiness and assured that the Post Office can deliver 93% of all required deliverables.”

The EFF has called for the Post Office to be given the opportunity to distribute grants and the government to support it, further threatening legal action should the CPS contract be extended further.

“If the minister persist to disregard the law, deliberately sideline and sabotage the post office and allow the corrupt deal between the Minister and CPS through a new Gupta-linked company with the same CPS technology, the EFF will explore and engage in court process which will again force to comply with the Constitutional Court ruling.

“If she fails to comply with the constitutional court ruling, the EFF will open a criminal case against her and she must be personally held liable.”

The social development department and Sassa appeared before Scopa, and Dlamini denied allegations that she did not want to work with the Post Office.

“Everyone has been talking as if they are the only ones who want the Post Office here, and we’ve been stating categorically that the post office is a state institution, we are prepared to work with them. There is an assumption based on discussions, not empirical evidence, that says give everything to the post office.

“The reason we gave the RFP to the post office is because the Post Office is a state institution, they were given priority, and therefore, what is being said has no basis,” said Dlamini.

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