Disappointment at court decision on grants deductions
The Black Sash Trust says it is disappointed by the court’s decision to refuse its application for leave to appeal an earlier ruling which allowed Net1 to deduct money from the accounts of social grant beneficiaries, notes a report on the IoL site. In May, the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) ruled against the order by the Department of Social Development and Sassa to stop Net1 from allowing deductions from accounts of grant beneficiaries.
In his judgment, acting Judge CJ van der Westhuizen said: ‘The applications should not be granted because the issues raised in the application were not appropriate to the approach adopted in this judgment and particular in view of the relief sought.’
The court also dismissed an application by Black Sash to be part of the proceedings. Sassa, the Minister of Social Development and Black Sash later sought leave to appeal this judgment, believing that the court’s decision left grant beneficiaries vulnerable.
‘In refusing the application, the court found that there is no distinction between social grant beneficiaries’ accounts held at Grindrod Bank and any other bank account held at another bank; and that the regulations do not operate to restrict beneficiaries in the operation of their bank account,’ Black Sash explained.
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