Johannesburg – Following a massive outcry from social grant beneficiaries about difficulties encountered in trying to change their SASSA gold cards for the black Postbank card as instructed, the government has extended the deadline to do so to 20 March 2025.
In a joint statement on Friday, (14 February 2025), the Ministers of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, and Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe confirmed that the deadline for beneficiaries to swap their gold SASSA card for the black Postbank card has been extended from 28 February to 20 March 2025.
“We have listened to the deep concerns and frustrations of our social grant beneficiaries and we trust that this extension will provide much-needed time for grant recipients,” said the joint statement made available to The Bulrushes.
“We strongly encourage our beneficiaries to make sure that they change to the black Postbank card as soon as they can, and well ahead of the 20 March 2025 deadline.
“We would like to emphasise that grant payments will continue as per usual, even after the 20th of March deadline.”
If beneficiaries haven’t exchanged their cards by then, their grants will still be paid, but they will need to visit their nearest Post Office branch to access their funds.
“To make sure that we are able to assist beneficiaries to swap their cards as efficiently as possible, our departments and entities are working together to add more human capacity and are working with retailers to increase the number of sites across the country,” the statement said.
Mobile offices will also be dispatched to focus on rural areas and to ensure as many people as possible can be assisted.
“We will monitor the process closely and will receive daily updates as to how the process is going so that we are able to respond quickly to any further issues that may arise,” the statement said.
The SASSA Gold Cards will stop working on 20 March 2025.
However, after 20 March 2025, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their Postbank Black Cards.
“We are also working with community leaders and local authorities to share clear information and offer assistance where needed,” the statement said.
“Making sure that beneficiaries are able to swap their old gold SASSA cards as easily as possible is our priority and we will update the public regularly.”
