SASSA Gold Card Delay-SASSA recipients are dissatisfied with the delay in issuing new Gold Card. With many SASSA gold card recipients visiting post offices to renew their expired bank cards (after SASSA called for recipients with gold cards expiring in March 2023 to collect their new cards at Post Offices across the country), recipients who have yet to receive a new gold card have expressed their frustration.
Many grant recipients have expressed their dissatisfaction on SASSA’s Facebook page, with some being told they couldn’t get a new gold card due to website issues, loadshedding, or a card shortage. Many recipients waited in line for hours only to be told to return another day, only to be disappointed and not receive their new card.
SASSA Gold Card Delay-SASSA issues a media apology to Gold Card holders for delay
SASSA issued an apology on their Facebook and Twitter pages on April 20, 2023. Gold Cards, according to them, are issued by Postbank and allow grant recipients to transact using their card and PIN Code within the National Payment System (NPS). ATMs, SAPO branches, retailers, and Cash Pay Points (CPP) accept these cards. They, like all VISA and MasterCards, have an expiration date and must be renewed every 5 years.
According to their press release, approximately 5.9 million SASSA social grant recipients use the gold card to transact and withdraw funds.
According to PostBank’s Twitter page, the number of gold cards expiring was stated in a previous article. Over 159 000 gold cards will expire in March 2023, over 860 000 will expire in April 2023, over 2.7 million will expire in May 2023, and over 1.8 million will expire in June 2023.
Grant recipients have the option of changing their grant payment method. Recipients who want to switch their grant payment option to Postbank’s cardless withdrawal option must request a change of payment method at their nearest SASSA office.
Recipients who want to change their grant payment option to a personal bank account must bring the following documents to their SASSA office:
- Identification Document Proof of Bank Account
- 3 months of bank statements displaying the client’s personal information (names and bank accounts)
- SASSA will expand its capacity and operating hours.
- Furthermore, SASSA stated that they intend to increase their capacity in order to allow for faster processing of requests for change of payment method. They also stated that they will be extending office hours to accommodate any increase in client demand.
Obtaining a new Gold Card:
Remember that you can only collect your new gold card during the month in which your current card expires, so check the front of your card for the expiration date. Cards expiring in March 2023 will have “03/23” written on the front, while those expiring in April will have “04/23” written on the front.
Recipients of the Old Age and Disability Grants can pick up their new gold card from their local post office on Mondays or Tuesdays. While Child Support Grants or any other grants can be collected from their nearest post office on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
Remember to bring your original ID (green book or ID card) as well as your expired gold card.
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