L ITIGATING THE RIGHT TO SOCIAL ASSISTANCE - The Social Relief of Distress grant court case

the Minister of Social Development, and the Minister of The Constitution requires the government to progressively realise the right to social assistance. [...] 2022, and the number of appeals for rejections on the basis of “means” (meaning the application was found by bank The budget cap imposed by the Regulations is arbitrary verification processes to have income above the means-test and breaches the right to social assistance to the extent threshold). [...] T HE REAL TERM REDUCTION OF We accordingly contend that the narrow appeals THE VALUE OF THE GRANT process provided for in the Regulations is irrational and unreasonable and unjustifiably limits the constitutional The value of every social grant other than the SRD grant right to administrative justice, and to social assistance. [...] We accordingly seek orders directing the Minister of Social Development to formulate a plan that redresses the 100 retrogression in the value of the income threshold and progressively increases the income threshold, taking into account: the right to social assistance in section 27(1)(c) of the Constitution; increases in inflation and the cost of 0 20 21 21 22 22 23 living; objective measures of in. [...] THE NON-PAYMENT OF National APPROVED BENEFICIARIES Treasury reduces the budget allocation for the The final aspect of the application concerns systemic SRD grant, limiting the delays and failures to pay the SRD grant to approved number of people that applicants.