POLOKWANE – Postbank and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) have assured social grant beneficiaries that payments will continue without interruption, even for those who have not yet replaced their Sassa gold cards with Postbank black cards.

From April 3-5 and onwards, beneficiaries who have not yet received their black cards will be able to withdraw their grants at designated Post Office branches.

“There are currently 543 Post Office branches nationwide where beneficiaries can withdraw their grants. To do so, they must present a valid form of identification, such as a green barcoded ID, a smart ID card or a temporary ID,” said Postbank CEO Ntomboxolo Mbengashe.

Over one million social grant beneficiaries have ben successfully swapped over as of March 10.

She added that Post Office branch-based payments are a familiar channel for many beneficiaries and will continue to be available for:

• Social grant recipients who have not yet replaced their SASSA gold cards.
• Asylum seekers.
• Beneficiaries using Postbank’s green Mzansi or blue cards.

How Beneficiaries Should Access Their Grants

Beneficiaries who already have Postbank black cards are urged to use ATMs and retailers to withdraw their funds.

They should not attempt to collect payments inside Post Office branches, as no services will be provided there.

The only exception is for those whose black cards have been lost or stolen, who will be assisted with cash withdrawals at Post Office branches.

Social grant recipients are reminded that Post Office payments are a temporary measure, and they are encouraged to replace their SASSA gold cards as soon as possible.

The replacement process will continue beyond 20 March 2025 at existing Postbank card replacement sites, with additional sites being added daily.

Postbank and SASSA said these measures aim to ensure beneficiaries continue receiving their grants without disruption once SASSA gold cards are phased out.

Mbengashe further explained that March 20 is not a cut-off date for when Postbank stops replacing SASSA gold cards.

“Postbank will continue replacing SASSA gold cards with new Postbank black cards in all its card replacement sites even after this date. Social grant beneficiaries may still replace their SASSA gold cards with Postbank black cards on, and after, March 20. To prepare for the next grant payments that are scheduled for April 3-5, SASSA and Postbank encourage beneficiaries to make extra efforts to use the period between now and those payments dates to get their black cards,” she said.

By doing that, she explained that beneficiaries will guarantee that their April 2025 grant payments are made with their cards.

She said Postbank will continue to swap the gold card until the end of June 2025.

“This is when we believe we should have swapped all beneficiaries that bank with Postbank. We, however, plead with all beneficiaries to please use the rest of the month of March and perhaps into early April 2025 to go get their new cards,” she said.

Postbank card replacement sites are located mainly in selected branches of major retailers that include Shoprite, Checkers, Usave, PicknPay, Boxer, Spar, and beneficiaries can dial *120*355# from a cellphone to look up a nearby site.

Beneficiaries require only a form of identification, which can be an RSA green barcoded ID, smart card ID, or temporary ID to do the swap. The cards are issued at no cost to the beneficiaries.

Source: SAGovnews