THIRD time was the charm for 75-year-old Janvi Pillay who finally managed to complete the process of changing her South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card to the new black card on Friday, February 28.

The pensioner, who lives in the Durban CBD, said she had visited Shoprite on Dr Pixley kaSeme Street (former West Street) twice early last week but was defeated by the long queues. “I told myself that I had to come try again today because I can’t just leave it,” said Pillay. She joined the queue with scores of other SASSA grant recipients at 08:10 and by 10:00 was on her way home. “I am happy now that it is done, I can relax. It was very quick to get it done, apart from the long queue there was no hassle,” said Pillay.

Her views on the quick process were shared by Pete Davies from Glenwood who raised concerns about the lack of toilets in the Durban CBD. He said, “The process was quick but I struggled to find a loo to use nearby. I was in the queue for a long time and eventually needed to use the facilities which were not available. I’m hoping that SASSA can take a look at this, especially for us the elderly.”

Also Read: Sassa extends deadline for gold card replacement

Currently, the swopping of cards is being done at selected SPAR, Shoprite, Checkers and Boxer outlets and all SASSA offices. The date to change from the SASSA gold card to black cards was extended from February 28 to March 20, amid public outcry. At the Shoprite, located in the Durban CBD, they process an average of 100 grantees per day from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00. In a joint press release, the Ministers of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi and Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe, emphasised that grant payments will continue as per usual even after the 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. 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,” read the statement.

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