Postbank has reassured Pretoria grant beneficiaries that their Gold Cards will remain valid throughout 2025, despite previous statements indicating an expiration date of 31 December 2024.

The cards will continue to be accepted until they are replaced with the new Black Cards.

Postbank issued a statement last year confirming that, even if a Gold Card expired, it would still remain valid throughout 2024.

However, according to reports, some beneficiaries reported difficulties accessing their grants, sparking concerns over how the transition to the new cards would affect payments.

GroundUp reported that a nationwide roll-out of the Postbank Black Card has begun in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northern Cape and North West provinces.

According to the not-for-profit news agency, Postbank spokesperson Bongani Diako said Gold Card beneficiaries in areas where they have not yet started issuing Black Cards need not be concerned as we will be taking the cards to where they live in every part of the country.

Their Gold Cards will continue to work until we issue them with new Black Cards.

“So, they must ignore any conflicting information, including any advice that they must change their payment method,” Diako was quoted in a GroundUp report.

Diako said the new cards have enhanced security features and are compliant with updated banking standards, providing a more secure and efficient method for receiving grants.

“It is EMV-compliant with the updated EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) standards which is a standard compliance required from all banks to replace cards after a certain period,” he said.

What must SASSA grant recipients bring to get black cards

All the beneficiaries need to bring to be issued with Postbank black cards is a valid ID, or a temporary ID. Therefore, beneficiaries that may have lost or misplaced their IDa are urged to obtain a temporary ID to be issued with black cards.

Here is a list of place in Pretoria where you can collect your SASSA Black cards:

• Boxer, Station Square
• Shoprite, Lilian Ngoyi and Bloed Streets
• Shoprite, Lilian Ngoyi and Struben Streets
• Shoprite, Pretoria North
• Shoprite, Wierdapark
• Shoprite, Nafcoc Soshanguve
• Shoprite, Nkomo Village
• Shoprite, Hammanskraal
• Shoprite, Jubilee Crossing
• Shoprite, Temba
• Shoprite, Denlyn Mall, Mamelodi
• Shoprite, Soshanguve Crossing
• Shoprite, Ga-Rankuwa
• Shoprite, Centurion Mall
• Postbank, Pretoria Branch, Cnr Palace & Church Street, Church Square
• Postbank, Pretoria North Branch, 247 Ben Viljoen Str

In his interview with GroundUp, Diako added that Postbank has not set a date to complete the transition to the new cards.

“The transition will be completed once every Gold Card has been replaced,” Diako said.

He said Postbank serves “less than 30%” of SASSA’s 28-million grant recipients.

Postbank has introduced a special programme to assist bedridden and elderly beneficiaries who cannot travel to collect their new cards.

This initiative includes home visits with Postbank representatives delivering Black Cards directly to beneficiaries’ homes.

Although details on how to schedule these visits have not yet been released, Diako confirmed that the programme would be available in the coming weeks.

Beneficiaries who wish to collect their new Black Cards must take either their ID or a temporary ID to selected retailers.

If someone is collecting a card on behalf of a beneficiary, the beneficiary does not need to be present, says Postbank, but the person collecting the card must present an official SASSA authorisation letter.

Postbank said grant recipients would have the same benefits they had with the Gold Cards, said Diako, including free first card replacements if lost or stolen; three free withdrawals per month in stores; one free monthly statement over the counter; and no unauthorized deductions.

Beneficiaries who are asylum seekers need to bring an official approval letter from SASSA to get their new card.

“A lot of work has been done in the bank in the past 14 months to ensure that Postbank is on par as much as possible with other banks when it comes to our core banking systems,” he said.

NOTE: Substantial portions of this article were sourced from www.groundup.org.za. GroundUp is a South African-based not-for-profit news agency that often publishes under a creative commons license. This means that those who repeat GroundUp’s content may not alter it and must credit them as a source.

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