JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa’s Constitutional Court said it will rule on Friday in a case concerning the unlawful tender of a contract to manage welfare benefits to 17 million people.

The Constitutional Court in 2014 ruled that the tender won by Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), a unit of technology company Net1 unit, was illegal. The government had until April 1 of this year to take responsibility for social service payments or find a new provider, but failed to do so.

The plaintiffs want the court to take oversight of a new contract, which needs to be settled urgently if April’s benefit payments are to be made on time.