Concern over ‘insufficient’ sites to replace Sassa cards

Following major concerns of long queues and insufficient sites for social grant beneficiaries to replace their cards, efforts are under way to add more sites at various municipalities across the country.

This was revealed by the Department of Social Development (DSD) on Friday following a meeting called MinMEC which brought together the department’s minister Nokuzola Tolashe and the DSD MEC’s.

The meeting unpacked the challenges associated with completing the changeover for beneficiaries from the old Sassa gold cards to the new Postbank black cards.

While the deadline was extended from 28 February to 20 March, several issues have marred the process.

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“The reality is that replacement sites from Postbank, across the country, are insufficient.

“Their current processes are slow and violate the dignity of their clients by subjecting them to inhumane conditions, where there are no ablution facilities. There are also extended queuing lines and clients are exposed to adverse weather conditions.

“Card issuance sites are also not well located with many of their clients having to travel long distances to access towns and often do not get served on the day, owing to capacity and poor logistic management,” the department stated.

The meeting proposed, as an added intervention, the use of DSD provincial offices to ‘intervene in the crisis’.

“SASSA confirmed it is working with municipalities, churches and the House of Traditional Leaders to find additional sites that are easy accessible to beneficiaries.”

Click here to see the list of black card issuing sites

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