Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe says her department will support the transition of grant beneficiaries from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) gold cards to Postbank Black Cards.
Speaking to a joint parliamentary committee, the Minister acknowledged the process has been challenging and expressed concern about its impact on beneficiaries.
It is our duty to protect our beneficiaries who are badly affected by the process of card replacement, especially the most vulnerable group, older persons and persons with disabilities,
Postbank is responsible for migrating beneficiaries to a new Black card. However, Sassa is committed to collaborating with Postbank to ensure beneficiaries' assistance.
Minister Tolashe argues that Sassa has been caught in the crossfire of decisions made by Postbank and the South African Reserve Bank.
During times of difficulty, it is not in our interest to be pointing fingers, even if we know the truth, it is for us to find solutions to the challenge at hand and rally all our stakeholders towards a sustainable solution.
Sassa Acting CEO, Themba Matlou outlined measures to improve the issuing of new cards to beneficiaries.
This includes extended working hours and stationing staff at card replacement sites around the country. Sassa will also look to deploy personnel in communities to assist the elderly and disabled.
"Two Sassa employees will be assigned per site to assist with managing queues, including providing expedited services for older individuals and those who are frail."
Community outreach programmes will be critical in rural areas and communities with no Postbank card replacement facilities.
Sassa will be intensifying its Community Outreach programme which will target areas where there are no South African Post Office card replacement sites.
Sassa aims to clear payment method change backlogs by 21 February. Minister Tolashe urged committee members and the public to report any difficulties encountered during the migration.
THE DEADLINE TO REPLACE SASSA GOLD CARDS IS THE END MARCH 2025.
