The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is urging beneficiaries to replace their Gold Cards with the new Black Card. An official deadline for card replacements has been set.
Sassa disburses various grants including Children's Grants, Old Persons Grants and Disability Grants. They are also responsible for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
Sassa released a statement to urge beneficiaries to replace their Gold Cards as soon as possible, saying:
Sassa and Postbank appeal to social grant beneficiaries to replace their Sassa gold cards with the new Postbank Black Cards by 28 February 2025.
Beneficiaries will have until the end of the month of February to get a card replacement, regardless of the expiry date written on the card. If beneficiaries miss the deadline, they will be unable to collect their grants with the Gold Card and the card will be blocked.
"After this deadline, Gold Cards will not function to withdraw cash from all ATMs and retailers, and they will also not be allowed for transactions such as balance enquiries, printing of statements or retail purchases as they will be blocked," explained Sassa.
Since commencing with card replacements last September, hundreds of thousands of grantholders have been using the new Sassa black card to access their funds.
Other beneficiaries are encouraged to collect their new Postbank Black Cards, as after this deadline, the Sassa Gold Cards will no longer be valid for any transactions.
Sassa grant payments for February 2025, which commenced on 4 February, are the final payments using the Gold Card.
How To Replace Your Sassa Card
To replace their Gold Cards, beneficiaries should visit their nearest Postbank site which can also be found at the nearest retailer, including Checkers, Shoprite, PicknPay, USave and Boxer stores. New cards can be collected "where they collect their grant payments".
Beneficiaries will need to provide their ID to collect their new card.
Ensuring that minimum documentation is required to get the new Postbank Black Cards is in line with Sassa and Postbank's ongoing commitment to continuously improve the customer experience of all social grant beneficiaries.
The new Black Card can be used at ATMs, retailers and anywhere else where a bank card is accepted, with no waiting period needed to start transacting after the card is issued.
With the new card, beneficiaries get one free card replacement per year, three free withdrawals per month and one free monthly statement over the counter.
To locate the nearest place to go for a card replacement, dial *120*355# and press 1. To generate your nearest location for a card replacement, reply with the number representing your province.
The Acting CEO of Sassa, Themba Matlou, said:
Our appeal to social grant beneficiaries is that they should not wait for the last minute, or for when their cards stop working. They must get their Postbank Black Cards now at their nearby card replacement site as that will guarantee that they continue receiving their payments.
Beneficiaries should be warned to keep their IDs and cards safe from any criminals and ensure that they don't give any personal information or items to anyone besides official Sassa staff.
"Beneficiaries are also advised to be careful not to accept cards that look like Postbank Black Cards that are issued by other people and institutions under false pretenses."
