ACAOSA calls to scrap unlawful SASSA deductions
JOBURG – Civil organisations urge the Department of Social Development to scrap unlawful and unauthorised grant deductions.
The Association of Community Advice Offices of South Africa (Acaosa) has joined other civil society organisations calling for the scrapping of unauthorised South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant deductions.
The association embraced the mass silent protest action by various organisations including the Black Sash held at the North Gauteng High Court recently.
The court cases are challenging the new regulations, promulgated in May this year, against Sassa and the Department of Social Development (DSD).
The judgment has been reserved and the judge said he would rule within a ‘reasonable time’ Acaosa chief executive officer Simbongile Kamtshe said his organisation has, through their community advice offices, picked up that social grant beneficiaries are hugely affected by the ongoing deductions on their Sassa grants.
“We are calling on the DSD to take a stand by stopping these activities and assist all those who have been affected by these wrong activities.”
Kamtshe urged the DSD to stop unauthorised, illegal and fraudulent deductions from the Sassa bank accounts and protect social grants from exploitation. These illegal deductions include loan shark arrangements, airtime, electricity and funeral policy deductions.
Acaosa is a national voice organisation of the Community Advice Offices (CAO) Sector. CAOs are independent non-profit organisations that offer free legal and human rights information, advice and services to people who are marginalised through poverty, social circumstances, and geographical location.
