FOCUS: The Presenter Interviews SABC's Ishmael Mdobia, about the legal arguments between SASSA & SERI on the SRD 370-rand monthly grant payment to unemployed SA citizens.....

INTRO:
Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein have questioned National Treasury on why Social Relief of Distress grant applicants, are still unable to apply at South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) offices following the COVID-19 lockdown. Justice Wendy Hughes acknowledged that in-person applications were not possible during the pandemic but asked what has been done since then, to increase access. Justice Pieter Meyer questioned the logic of relying on strict online applications, particularly for people who cannot afford cell-phones or have no internet access. The bench heard oral arguments in the appeal brought by the Department of Social Development and Sassa, following a North Gauteng High Court judgment, that found that key aspects of the grant system unlawfully excluded millions of eligible applicants. The Institute of Economic Justice (IEJ) has stressed that the income assessment used by Department of Social Development and SASSA to issue the SRD grants is exclusionary. Legal representative for IEJ, Advocate Jason Brickhill emphasised that relying on bank accounts to determine income is not enough for the department to make conclusions. The IEJ argues that the SRD budget has never been fully spent since inception. Judgment has been reserved, challenging findings related to the adequacy of the 370-rand monthly grant. For more with the latest update, we are now joined by our SABC journalist covering this story for us a& our listeners at Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein in Free State Mr Ishmael Modiba........................