Grant beneficiaries can breathe easier as the deadline to replace the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold cards has been extended to May 31, 2025.
The announcement was made by Postbank’s CEO, Nikki Mbengashe, on Friday, March 28.
This comes after the March 20th deadline for the replacement of cards came and went, and thousands of beneficiaries are still having to migrate to the new Postbank black cards.
Western Cape MEC for Social Development, Jaco Londt welcomed the extension, adding that members of the public approached his office wanting to verify the news of the extension.
“People simply do not know what to believe anymore. This is why, as per our commitment to assisting wherever we can, we are trying to get the correct information out to the public, despite neither Sassa nor Postbank falling under the responsibility of the Western Cape Government,” Londt said.
According to Postbank, beneficiaries would be able to continue using their gold cards until May 31.
“Through the course of April and May, they can either change to the Postbank black cards or change the payment method at a Sassa office to a bank of their choice. Those with gold cards have been asked not to go to a Post Office to withdraw their grants,” Londt said.
He has urged residents not to wait and make the change as soon as possible to avoid added pressure on the system.
“We also urge Postbank to step up its communication, and this is something we will continuously tell the management as well. Yesterday’s announcement has not been shared widely or effectively, hence people are contacting us for clarity,” Londt said.
He said he conducted several community outreaches at Postbank in the Overberg region in the Western Cape this past week and saw very few people at some sites because the broader community was not aware of the outreaches.
Londt said teams were conducting home visits to assist some beneficiaries in making the card switch.
“People are not aware of these outreaches because the communication has been subpar. We have continuously told Postbank we can assist in getting the word out to communities, but we need them to share the information with us timeously,” Londt said.
He said he will be meeting with both Postbank and Sassa next week, where he will again try placing pressure on them to step up their game.
“We know there are staff on the ground working extremely hard to help vulnerable residents. But we also know there are a myriad problems that could have been avoided had proper planning gone into this process.”
“We remain committed to assisting however we can, but we are getting frustrated with the flip-flopping by national entities that are mandated to serve the most vulnerable. We urge them to do better and step up their game,” Londt said.
IOL