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The real risks behind SA’s social grant payment crisis

By Andries du Toit First published on The Conversation Africa The dispute hovering over South Africa’s social grant system and threatening millions of vulnerable beneficiaries with nonpayment creates risks that go far beyond interrupting poor people’s access to desperately needed grants. The failure of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), which is responsible for Read more >

ConCourt dismisses NPA’s spy tapes application

The Constitutional Court has reportedly dismissed the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)’s application to appeal a High Court ruling, which in essence reinstated 18 charges of fraud and corruption, relating to 783 dodgy payments, against President Jacob Zuma. The DA also released a statement to this effect this morning, in which it stated that the ConCourt is not prepared to Read more >

Zuma pays back the money, but the damage is done

President Jacob Zuma has paid back the R7.8-million of taxpayers’ money used to improperly upgrade non-security parts of his private home at Nkandla, but this is not the end of the story. Some remain sceptical about the transaction and say they want proof that it was above board. The EFF is particularly suspicious about the Read more >

CW makes submissions on NSPCA case in ConCourt

Update: Corruption Watch is making submissions today in the Constitutional Court in the case brought by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (NSPCA) to Animals against Justice Minister Michael Masutha and Shaun Abrahams, the national director of public prosecutions. The NSPCA’s case arose out of a 2010 case in which a camel was Read more >

Nkandla bill to be settled in 45 days

President Jacob Zuma must now fork out nearly R8-million from his own pocket to pay a portion of the Nkandla costs – the Constitutional Court has approved this amount, submitted to it a month ago by the National Treasury. On Tuesday the court’s registrar sent a letter to Webber Wentzel attorneys, the firm that handled Corruption Watch’s Read more >

Forthright ConCourt our hero of the week

As Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng read out what has been termed the “Nkandla judgment” on Thursday last week, South Africans took to social media to celebrate the message in his ruling: the Constitution of the country is the paramount law of the country, and President Jacob Zuma – for having breached it – was in Read more >

Court has done its bit, now it’s up to politics

by Steven Friedman First published in Business Day For not the first time, many of us seem to need reminding that the Constitutional Court’s job is to make sure politicians stick to the rules — not to do their jobs for them. Last week’s Constitutional Court judgment deserves the cheers that greeted it — it Read more >

Media alert: civil society takes steps to reclaim democracy

URGENT MEDIA ALERT 05 April 2016 This evening an alliance of civil society, church, trade union and academic organisations held an urgent meeting to discuss the growing political and economic crisis that faces South Africa. In attendance were representatives of the Anglican Church of South Africa, the Evangelical Alliance, the South African Christian Leadership Initiative, Read more >

Download the Constitutional Court Nkandla judgment

Download the unanimous judgment delivered this morning by a full bench of the Constitutional Court. The full session is available below to watch: For your convenience we have also provided the media summary below: Today the Constitutional Court handed down judgment in a matter concerning the power of the Public Protector to “take appropriate remedial Read more >