Deadline for SASSA Card transition Extended

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries has been given an extended lifeline after the the Ministers of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi and Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe, announced that the deadline for beneficiaries to swop their gold SASSA card for the black Postbank card has been extended from 28 February to 20 March 2025.

‘’We have listened to the deep concerns and frustrations from our social grant beneficiaries and we trust that this extension will provide much needed time for grant recipients. We strongly encourage our beneficiaries to make sure that they change to the black Postbank card as soon as they can, and well ahead of the 20 March 2025 deadline,’’ read the joint statement.

PICTURE: SASSA

Many beneficiaries scrambled to get the new card, enduring long queues and having to travel long distances to get to the nearest collection point.

‘’To make sure that we are able to assist beneficiaries to swop their cards as efficiently as possible, our departments and entities are working together to add more human capacity and are working with retailers to increase the number of sites across the country. Mobile offices will also be dispatched to focus on rural areas and to ensure that we assist as many people as possible,’’

The joint ministries said that grant payments will continue as per usual, even after the 20th of March deadline. If beneficiaries haven't exchanged their cards by then, their grants will still be paid, but they will need to visit their nearest Post Office branch to access their funds.

‘’Furthermore, the 20th of March deadline marks the date when the SASSA Gold Cards will stop working, not the last day to apply for the new card. After the 20th of March, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their Postbank Black Cards.’’

 

These are the sites SASSA people can replace their cards at:

·        Boxer Langa

·        Boxer Philippi

·        Boxer Mitchells Plain

·        Checkers Hyper Parow

·        Usave Bellville

·        Shoprite Bayside Mall

·        Shoprite Eerste River

·        Shoprite Khayelitsha CBD

·        Shoprite Gugulethu

·        Shoprite Adderley Street

·        Shoprite Thembalethu

·        Shoprite George

·        Shoprite Paarl

·        Shoprite Vredenburg

·        USave Caledon

 

The Western Cape’s Social Development MEC, Jaco Londt, welcomed the announcement of the extension.

‘’My office has been inundated with queries and complaints from SASSA grant beneficiaries across the Western Cape, even though SASSA is a national entity and does not fall within the powers of the Western Cape Government. Many of the complaints are centered around the lack of Postbank sites in rural areas. It is unacceptable that the majority of service points in the province are in the Cape Metro, with only a few in George, Vredenburg, and Caledon (although we have received reports that the sites in Vredenburg and Caledon do not seem to be operational). The offices also need to be adequately staffed to deal with the influx of beneficiaries. ‘’

‘’We have been pressuring SASSA and Postbank to address the flaws we have found in the card migration process, such as the lack of service points and adequate staffing. This is still a huge concern, as we cannot leave vulnerable residents living in rural areas behind in this process,’’ he added.

Londt says he will be raising these issues during a meeting with the National Minister of Social Development and MECs from other provinces next week.

 

Done by: Elona Sibunzi