Court orders government to give refugees R350 grant
The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favour of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa receiving the Covid-19 unemployment grant.
The most recent ruling by the High Court regarding foreign citizens receiving the Covid-19 unemployment grant has South Africa talking.
Read: Here's how to apply for the COVID-19 unemployment relief grant
The court found that directives issued by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu was unconstitutional and unlawful, and that the exclusion of certain groups from accessing the R350 grant should be stopped.
The minister has been given five days to quantify the costs of extending the grant and another five days to publish amended regulations.
The groups that will be included under the COVID-19 unemployment grant are asylum seekers and special permit holders from Lesotho, Angola and Zimbabwe.
Many people on Twitter have been weighing in on the ruling, with some voicing their concerns over what this means for South Africans.
"This SASSA situation reveals more than just inefficiency with the welfare system it also reveals the misprioritization of Foreign nationals over South African citizens. How is it that visitors have received their money over people who've lived in South Africa their whole lives?"
Read what the rest of South Africa had to say about SASSA:
The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favour of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa.
— Advovo ❁ (@advovolicious) June 19, 2020
It has ordered government to include them in the #SASSA unemployment grant.
This includes asylum seekers and special permit holders from Lesotho, Angola and Zimbabwe. WTF Bazalwane! pic.twitter.com/iPX9PHXPK6
#SASSA be doing this to us 😭🤣 I even blocked Sassa on my WhatsApp after app declined report 🚮💔 pic.twitter.com/MNiIxgDMfO
— Magoba (@magoba_ZAR) June 19, 2020
Can’t believe Sassa refused me that 350 pic.twitter.com/JcOWHaNjz1
— 𝐊 𝐀 𝐓 𝐋 𝐄 𝐇 𝐎 (@KayMahlatsi) June 19, 2020