South Africa introduced a digital social assistance programme in 2020 to identify who was eligible for its Social Relief of Distress grant. The country’s High Court later found that the automated vetting system it relied on was unconstitutional and invalid.
The case was brought by the Institute for Economic Justice, a South African think tank, and #PayTheGrants, a civil society movement that advocates for economic justice. The government appealed the decision and the case will be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal. Legal scholar Mark Gaffley explains the significance of the ruling.
