‘BROKEN SYSTEM’: SRD grant battle reaches Supreme Court of Appeal as state challenges historic judgment
The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants, represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute, highlighted a ‘broken’ system characterised by a 33% database error rate (wrongful exclusion) and a 99% appeal rejection rate. They argued that these metrics serve as a ‘massive red flag’ indicating systemic failure.
The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants are challenging the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant system, which they say is "broken" due to flawed online applications, bank verifications, and database checks. In January, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the SRD grant system unlawfully excluded millions of eligible applicants.
The state appealed this judgment to the Supreme Court of Appeal, arguing that widening social assistance would require significant additional spending that they cannot afford. The IEJ contends that increasing taxes or borrowing money to fund the grants is an unsustainable solution. They also argue that the R370 monthly grant, which fails to keep up with inflation, should be increased to R470, and that government has a constitutional duty to progressively improve access to social assistance.
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