Committee Chairperson Bridget Masango called on beneficiaries with expired cards to obtain to the Postbank black card as soon as possible.
Please get your black cards within this extended period to avoid the unbearable consequences of not accessing your grant without a black card.
Each month, the Sassa distributes over 18 million permanent grant payments, including the Older Persons pension grant, Disability grant, War Veterans grant, Care Dependency grant, Foster Child grant, Child Support grant, Child Support grant Top-Up and Grant-in-aid.
Over 3 million grant beneficiaries used the Sassa gold card to access grant payments. Over a million beneficiaries must replace their expiring gold cards with Postbank black cards.
Postbank said Sassa gold cards must be replaced with black cards before the end of May 2025. They warned that the two month extension period is final
There will be no alternative means for beneficiaries to access their grants when the two months lapse.
Postbank requested beneficiaries who still have gold cards not to use the Post Office to access their grants. This grant payment method was available after gold cards expired in March but has been withdrawn following the extension.
Beneficiaries are urged to know that cardless services are no longer available and no beneficiaries have been registered for cardless services.
The rollout of Postbank black cards commenced in 2024. When the rollout began, grant beneficiaries were assured that no Sassa gold cards would expire until all beneficiaries received a Postbank Black card.
However, in early 2025, the agency confirmed that Sassa gold cards would stop working at the end of February. Following calls from stakeholders, an extension was granted. Cards expired on 20 March 2025. The validity of hold cards was extended again and will now expire at the end May 2025.
Postbank faced criticism for the rollout of black with parliament labelling the process as inefficient.
