The deadline for beneficiaries to replace their gold South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards with the black Postbank cards has been extended from 28 February to 20 March.
In a joint statement released by the departments of Communications and Digital Technologies and Social
Developement on Friday 14 February it said government was responding to the deep concerns and frustrations by social grant beneficiaries and it trusts 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 deadline.
“We would like to emphasise that grant payments will continue as per usual, even after the 20 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,” the statement read.
The departments said together with its entities it hopes 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.
“We will monitor the process closely, and will receive daily updates as to how the process is going so that we are able to respond quickly to any further issues that may arise.”
Grant beneficiaries were reminded that Sassa Gold Cards will subsequently stop working from 20 March.
“After the 20th of March, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their black Postbank cards.
“We are also working with community leaders and local authorities to share clear information and offer assistance where needed.
“Making sure that beneficiaries are able to swop their old gold Sassa cards as easily as possible is our priority and we will update the public regularly.”
