According to Postbank Spokesperson, Bongani Diako, when the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) says they have paid out social grants, they mean that the grants have been paid to Postbank. Postbank then needs to distribute it to beneficiaries.
Sassa provides financial assistance in the form of monthly grants to the country's most vulnerable citizens. These grants include the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, the Old Persons grant, Disability grants, Child Support grants, Foster Care Grant, Grant in Aid, War Veterans Grant, and the Care Dependency grant.
Sassa and Postbank have had continuous issues in the past, on multiple occasions, when it comes to money distribution and beneficiaries successfully collecting their grants.
Diako has reminded social grant recipients that there is more than one way to collect their money, aside from going to the Post Office. These multiple points of collection come in handy, particularly in the event that Postbank/the Post Office is experiencing a technical problem.
During Sassa's March 2023 payment schedule, many beneficiaries faced difficulties when collecting their social grants, one of which was the expiring of Sassa Gold Cards.
Beneficiaries with Gold Cards, which expire in March 2023, must go and collect their new Sassa/Postbank cards at Post Office branches. They may start collecting their new cards at the nearest Post Office branch from Monday 13 March 2023.
The Post Office will only issue the new Gold Card to the person in whose name the expiring card has been issued. Sassa has warned that no person will be able to collect a new card on behalf of another, unless they have been registered with Sassa as a procurator.
Although there are multiple ways to collect grant money, many beneficiaries only have access to the Post Office, unless Postbank drives to the area to distribute grants. Challenges with Postbank/the Post Office often leaves beneficiaries worried about their money, if it has been withdrawn or if they have been kicked off the system.
To check on their money, Diako says there is a 24-hour toll free number that can be called or an email can be sent, and that a Whatsapp line is also in the process of being set up.
If someone has applied for a Sassa grant, but they have been denied, Postbank cannot help with finding out the specifics as to why they were rejected. Instead, Postbank will redirect the applicant to Sassa (and vice versa, where necessary).
Postbank is not in possession of that kind of information, since Sassa has an applicant's details and is the entity responsible for determining eligibility criteria.
Postbank can only see if the money is available for that individual, but they cannot see why or why not.
Sassa has reminded clients that they don’t have to collect their monthly Sassa grant payment on the designated day that their Sassa grant is to be paid. This is because the money will remain in the beneficiaries' account until they choose to access and use it.
Collections are not done at Sassa offices, but can also be done by heading to retail stores, such as Shoprite, Checkers, U-save, Pick ‘n Pay and Boxer as well as ATMs. Grants can also be paid using a bank account.
Sassa distributes more than 18 million permanent social support grants monthly. These Sassa grants ensure that South Africa's vulnerable people can access basic goods and services.
The SRD grant is set to come to an end in March 2024 and will eventually transform into the Basic Income Grant.
