State grant recipients using gold cards provided by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) are advised to continue using these for transactions until further notice. This follows an announcement by Postbank last week.
Initially card holders were advised to renew their cards before 31 December. The expiry date no longer applies, and the cards are valid following the latest development. This means grant beneficiaries can continue using these gold cards to withdraw money.
“This important development means that millions of social grant beneficiaries do not have to change their Sassa gold cards to the cards of the other banks,” said Dr Bongani Diako, Postbank spokesperson, guaranteeing grant beneficiaries that they will be able to access their money.
“The extension of the Sassa gold cards’ validity ensures continuity for beneficiaries, and they do not have to endure the inconvenience and expenses of changing their gold cards to other payment methods that are often costly,” said Diako.
He has warned beneficiaries to disregard misleading information that might direct them to change to other card products claiming that the gold cards are being replaced.
“The Postbank is the only bank mandated to replace Sassa gold cards. These gold cards will be valid post-December 2023 and beneficiaries may continue to use them as normal,” said Diako.
He said grant recipients could use their cards to withdraw money from a wide network of the country’s ATMs, of any bank. Retailers such as Boxer, Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Usave and Spar also participate as withdrawal points.
Recipients can use their cards for numerous transactions, including free withdrawals inside retail shops, requesting free three-month bank statements, and doing balance inquiries.
According to Sassa, in the Free State, 355 008 beneficiaries of state grants are still using gold cards. Currently, the total number of people depending on state grants in the province is said to be about 586 165 of the population of about 3 million.
More than one million people in the Free State are depending on social grants for survival. Most beneficiaries are recipients of child support grants, followed by the elderly and persons living with disabilities, while 423 996 receive the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant of R350.
“This important development means that millions of social grants beneficiaries do not have to change their Sassa gold cards to the cards of the other banks.”
– Dr Bongani Diako
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