Communications Minister assures social grant beneficiaries that payouts will be made in full in October

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Mondli Gungubele, says officials are working around the clock to ensure that social grant beneficiaries are not affected by payment delays in October, that was seen in September.

Gungubele briefed the media on Thursday, where he gave an update on progress made on payments to Postbank Gold Card South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries. He was joined by the Social Development Department, and the CEO’s of SASSA and Postbank. The two ministires previously held a briefing last Thursday, when thousands of social grant beneficiaries did not receive their grants, due to ‘’a technical glitch’’.

COURTESY - X: @CommsZA: Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele

Gungubele said that the two departments -- Social Development, and Communications and Digital Technologies -- and their agencies, understand the regrettable strain that the grant payments challenges experienced this month has caused the most vulnerable in society. He once again apologised to all social grants beneficiaries, who have encountered difficulties accessing their social grants in September.

The Minister said that Postbank assured them that all SASSA grant beneficiaries, who were affected by the system challenge, have now been corrected.

“We are delighted to report that Postbank has provided us with the assurance that, according to their records, all SASSA grant beneficiaries, whose accounts were adversely affected by these system challenges on the 5th and 6th of September, have now been corrected. These funds are readily available in the accounts of these beneficiaries and if not withdrawn, can be accessed through bank ATMs, retailers and Post Office branches,’’ said Mondli Gungubele, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister.

Gungubele said once the beneficiaries’ money is paid into their Postbank bank accounts, they can access the money at any time convenient to them.

He also addressed numerous accounts and statements circulating on various platforms, misrepresenting the root cause of the Postbank system challenges that affected social grant recipients’ Postbank accounts this month.

“We want to place it on record that these stories are false and generally fabricated. The root cause of Postbank’s system challenges that affected the September social grants payments to some beneficiaries, which have now been resolved as of the 6th of September, relate to Postbank’s migration to a new system,” he said.

PICTURED: SASSA

The Minister said Postbank’s systems upgrade programme, of which the recent migration forms a component thereof, has been unfolding for a while in line with its 2022/23 as well as 2022/23 Corporate Plans, and it is also a South African Reserve Bank requirement, as part of Postbank’s banking license application process.

“Social grant beneficiaries are also urged to ignore the false information that the September payments challenges are as a result of the expired SASSA card. The Reserve Bank has granted extension for the SASSA cards to continue to work until December 2023, so beneficiaries can continue to use the same cards,” he said.

Gungubele said that the departments and their entities will regularly update SASSA beneficiaries on the details of the card replacement programme.

On the appointment of the new Postbank Board, and Gungubele assured social grant beneficiaries and the nation that the changes in the Postbank Board will not have an impact on any of the banking operations or the capacity of the Postbank.

Responding to a question on why other beneficiaries remain without their September payments, the Minister said they are going to follow up on the recipients that have not received their grants.

 

Done By: Mitchum George