South Africa: Disability Pensioners Win Back Benefits
By Kay Schriner (kays@uark.edu)
The Supreme Court of Appeal for the Eastern Cape province of South Africa recently ruled that disability pensions should be immediately restored to tens of thousands of individuals.
The province had discontinued payments to almost 100,000 beneficiaries between 1996 and 2000 and required all to re-apply for coverage, citing the high costs of the program and the problem of fraud.
The court's opinion was harshly critical of the government's action, saying it has misused the law. The affected individuals, said the court, were "victims of official excess, bureaucratic misdirection and unlawful administration methods." The province could have taken action to "remedy the problem by singling out the bogus," said the court, but instead chose to simply cut off benefits, causing "savage" consequences.
For more on the story, go to www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?art_id=qw999270181345B263.
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