Government’s online-only application process, bank verification checks and the broad definition of “income” wrongly exclude poor applicants from the Social Relief of Distress grant, argue the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and the #PayTheGrants campaign. The Institute for Economic Justice and #PayTheGrants say the government is deliberately using administrative barriers to keep SRD grant spending low. They are responding to government’s appeal against a high court ruling that found key …
Government
SRD Grant Increase Is “Simply Unaffordable” Says Treasury
The Department of Social Development, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and National Treasury want a ruling that declared several regulations governing the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant unconstitutional overturned. Treasury, SASSA and the Department of Social Development are appealing a high court ruling that found several SRD grant regulations unconstitutional. These include the grant’s R370-a-month value, the income threshold and the online-only application …
Giant Leap Forward in Tshwane Ward 57 By-Election
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) views yesterday’s results of the Ward 57 by-election (Die Hoewes, Lyttelton Manor, Lyttelton) in the Tshwane Metro as a positive and significant step in the right direction. The DA managed to muster only 270 more votes than the Freedom Front Plus. 44,38% of voters supported the Freedom Front Plus candidate, Wesley Jacobs, compared to 54,20% supporting the DA’s Jack Page. The Freedom Front Plus still won two of the three polling stations – a clear sign of growing …
State Attorney Calls for a New Road Accident Fund Tribunal
A dedicated Road Accident Fund tribunal would relieve the pressure on the courts which are clogged with RAF claims, the assistant State Attorney in Johannesburg says. The assistant State Attorney in Johannesburg, Simbongile Siyali, has called for a dedicated tribunal to deal with Road Accident Fund (RAF) cases. This would relieve the pressure on the courts which are currently clogged with RAF compensation claims. In an article published in December he says South Africa already has other …
“Ethics” company applied to gag GroundUp
Yet again a private company has used the courts to try to prevent the media from reporting news in the public interest. ProEthics removed from the roll their bid to prevent GroundUp from reporting about ongoing investigations into a procurement contract the company had with the National Lotteries Commission. The matter, set down for Tuesday in the high court in Pretoria, was removed from the roll on Monday. The company billed the NLC more than R28-million and was named in a forensic report and …
Cape Town’s Urgent Need to House Homeless People
Chester House is one of three properties run by Streetscapes. Cape Town has thousands of people living on its streets and the City urgently needs options that go beyond overnight shelters and Safe Spaces. Streetscapes currently supports about 150 formerly homeless people through a programme that provides stability through accommodation, work opportunities and psychological and social support. The Western Cape social development department funds two “second-phase” shelters for people who are …
Municipality Moves to Evict Hundreds of Tshwane Residents
People living at the JJ Bosmanhuis municipal apartments in Silverton will have to leave their homes this festive season after the City of Tshwane declared the building to be unsafe. Hundreds of people living at municipal apartments in Silverton could be forced to leave soon. This after the City of Tshwane declared the dilapidating building unsafe. The City last week issued eviction notices to over 300 tenants of the nearly 70-year-old JJ Bosmanhuis building. While the City says it will help …
Tshwane Metro Fails to Supply Enough Water to Rooiwal Farmers
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is receiving more and more complaints from farmers in the Rooiwal area who have repeatedly had to approach the courts to compel the City of Tshwane to supply them with enough potable water. A 2023 court order stipulated that sufficient water must be provided to residents and livestock daily, but the Metro has reduced delivery to only four days per week. Consequently, dozens of residents and more than a thousand head of livestock are left in a …
Wesley Jacobs to Contest Ward 57 By-Election in Tshwane
This morning, the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) officially introduced Wesley Jacobs as its candidate for the upcoming by-election in the City of Tshwane’s Ward 57. The by-election will take place on 21 January 2026. The national leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Dr Corné Mulder, and the Gauteng provincial leader, Mr Jaco Mulder, also attended the launch at the Centurion Lake Hotel. Grandi Theunissen, Freedom Front Plus councillor and caucus leader in the Tshwane Metro, used the occasion to …
Head of Special Tribunal Quits After One Year
Judge Margaret Victor has resigned as the head of the Special Tribunal. Retired judge Margaret Victor resigned as head of the Special Tribunal in September after one year but agreed to stay on until the end of November. The tribunal delivered 41 judgments involving almost R1.8-billion in 2025, up from 20 in 2024 and 22 in 2023, despite being disrupted by having its offices moved from Johannesburg to Pretoria. Critics argue the tribunal should be granted permanent status and fall under the high …