SASSA/Postbank card switch process needs a rethink
On 07 February, SASSA and Postbank announced an urgent call to social grant beneficiaries to replace their SASSA Gold Cards with the Postbank Black Cards.
Beneficiaries have until 28 February 2025 to do so. From 1 March beneficiaries will be unable to access their SASSA grant payments with their gold cards. SASSA and Postbank further advise people to go to their “nearest Postbank site, which is mainly located at one of the retailers near you that include Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave and Boxer.”
But since this announcement, the Western Cape Government has received numerous queries and complaints from across the province about the uncertainty of this migration. We have also had reports of chaotic scenes in certain areas like Drakenstein, where grant beneficiaries flocked to Postbank to get their new card, but the office was apparently not operational.
My office and I have also tried the different contact details provided in the SASSA and Postbank media statement:
- Postbank: 0800 53 54 55
- SASSA: 0800 60 10 11
- Dial: *120*218*3# and follow the prompts.
What we have found is very disheartening. The Postbank number is not functional as the call was dropped, and the SASSA number redirects one to reach out via Whatsapp. On Whatsapp, there is no option to enquire about the card migration process.
When following the *120*218*3# prompts, it gave a list of all the sites in the Western Cape where people can get their Postbank Black Cards:
• 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
Most of these sites are in the Cape Town Metro, only two are outside of the city, in George. This is unacceptable because it leaves thousands of grant beneficiaries living in rural areas in the Western Cape without accessible options.
We know that grants can also be paid into beneficiaries’ bank accounts, which they can access with their regular bank cards. But as we have heard time and time again from SASSA clients, like elderly residents or those living in abject poverty, they prefer using their SASSA Gold Cards for various reasons like convenience.
These individuals cannot be ignored. SASSA, Postbank, and the National Department of Social Development must find an urgent solution to ensure grant beneficiaries living in rural areas are also accommodated in the card transitioning process. More service points must be established – and until that happens, the deadline for the expiration of SASSA Gold Cards should be extended.
I have already raised these concerns with the Western Cape SASSA management and will escalate them at the MINMEC meeting with the National Minister of Social Development and provincial MECs next week.
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Monique Mortlock-Malgas
Media Liaison Officer to Minister Jaco Londt
Department of Social Development