The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is responsible for the disbursement of social grants to assist vulnerable South Africans financially.
Grants distributed by Sassa include 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. Sassa is also responsible for the social relief of distress grant, which we know as the SRD grant or R370 Sassa grant.
Permanent grant payments can be made using a personal bank account or a Sassa card. These Sassa cards are exclusively for Sassa grant payments with beneficiaries able to withdraw funds at retail stores and ATMs.
In September 2024, Postbank announced that the new black Mzansi Debit Card would replace the Sassa gold card previously issued to social grant beneficiaries. The initial rollout of the black cards began in Gauteng and has now been extended to grant recipients across South Africa.
Grant recipients are now being urged to collect their new Sassa Black card as soon as possible with many questioning when their gold cards will expire.
When Will Sassa Gold Cards Expire?
Initially, Sassa said that the gold cards will expire in December 2024. Now, Sassa's Spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi, has said that they will remain valid as Sassa extends their validity while the new system rollout continues.
Postbank has not set a date for the completion of the transition to the new cards. Postbank spokesperson, Bongani Diako said, “The transition will be completed once every Gold Card has been replaced.”
Gold cards will continue to work until we issue them with new Black Cards. So, they must ignore any conflicting information, including any advice that they must change their payment method.
However, beneficiaries are reminded that their Sassa gold cards are still valid and will continue working even if they haven't received the new black Sassa card yet.
How To Get Your New Sassa Card
First, you’ll need to locate a card replacement centre. To do this, Dial *120*355# on your phone and select option 1 to choose your province. You will then see a list of locations where new cards are being issued.
When collecting a new Sassa card, you will need to bring Your ID with you. If you’re collecting for someone else, you’ll need to bring the official Sassa proxy letter and if you’re an asylum seeker, you will need to bring the official approval letter from Sassa.
