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Explainer: Essential guide for Sassa card holders before 28 February deadline

13 Feb 2025

Pensioners and other gold card holders have until 28 February 2025 to swap their Sassa gold cards for the new black cards that Postbank will soon issue to clients.

Pensioners and other gold South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) card holders must swap their cards by 28 February as Postbank transitions to issuing new black cards.

Deadline

As of February 28, pensioners using gold cards will no longer be able to make transactions. They are urged to switch to the new black cards issued by Postbank before the deadline.

Postbank has set a double deadline for the expiration of the Sassa cards: 28 February and 20 March. The current Sassa cards will remain active until pensioners receive their new black cards.

In terms of the second deadline, it means the gold card will be in use only for the period 27 February to 20 March 20. And the Sassa gold card will stop working on 20 March with no further extensions planned.

However, speaking to Radio 702 on Thursday morning, Postbank CEO Nikki Mbengashe said there was a chance the deadline might be reviewed as the 28th drew near.

“Its not entirely upon us, but if need be we will definitely review the deadline,” Mbengashe said.

Requirements

All that is required for one to effectively migrate to the new black cards is to turn up with your green ID book, Smart ID card or valid temporary ID.

Eligibility of foreign nationals

Foreign nationals are not yet eligible for the new black cards. However, they can still access their grant money at any Post Office using their current documents after the gold cards stop working. And, to ensure a smooth transaction, they must bring the existing documents.

Why is this necessary?

This transition from gold to black cards is a necessary upgrade. As with any bank, cards eventually need replacing due to expiration or to maintain security. While elsewhere this service would be done at a fee, Postbank is offering the replacement free of charge.

Where to go/what if I can’t collect?

Applications and collections for the new cards can be made at any of the selected Pick n Pay and Boxer stores and Shoprite/Checkers stores by simply turning up with your ID document.

Mbengashe said these retailers were preferred because of their existing relationship in disbursing social grants.

If for some reason one failed to turn up to collect their card, it did not mean they would forfeit their grant. They would receive it, but not via their gold card, which stops working on 20 March. Instead, they would access their grant through alternative methods, including Post Office branches, until 30 June.

Who will be affected?

Regardless of the expiry date on the card, the migration will affect all Sassa gold card holders, who must switch to the new black cards.

Mbengashe said those who might not have the black card by 28 February would not suffer any financial harm to their grants; rather, it would accumulate in their accounts until they were able to access it by migrating to the black card.

Postbank had a 30% grant beneficiary customer base. The rest of the grant beneficiaries used other banking institutions.

How long does one have?

All Gold Card holders need to act immediately to get their black cards and avoid last-minute queues and potential disruptions to their grant payments.

Advantages of new black card

The new Postbank black cards come packed with the same advantages as the gold cards, ensuring protection from illegal deductions and financial abuse. Key perks include: Free first card replacement, three free in-store withdrawals (or purchases), one free statement over the counter and no random deductions. Additionally, the new cards boast enhanced security features, including biometric authentication and improved encryption, guaranteeing faster and safer access to grant payments.

Migrating via mobile phone

Gold Card holders can also migrate via their mobile phones.

They would need to dial *120*218*3# on their mobile phones to find the nearest store for migration, select their area from province to region, and nearby stores would appear on their screens.

Concerns for beneficiaries in rural areas

On Wednesday, the Portfolio Committee on Social Development raised its concerns over the lack of Postbank renewal sites in rural areas, with areas outside urban precincts having resulted in beneficiaries struggling to access renewal sites.

The committee also expressed concern that not all the 28 million grant beneficiaries would be migrated before the deadline, due to these challenges and network problems at some sites.

Black Sash

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Black Sash spokesperson Oliver Meth said: “Communication and collection sites that have been selected by Postbank do not necessarily reflect where Sassa card holders live, and even accessing information to your ‘closest’ site has been plagued by inaccurate information on the USSD platform and even on social media. Some sites do not exist, and the retailers share that they are not aware that Postbank card replacements were supposed to be happening at their stores.

“Massive network glitches always happen on grant pay days, which forces Postbank to turn away clients and ask them to return when the network is up and running. Beneficiaries who travel from far away do not have the necessary funds to return, except on the next grant pay day, and may fall foul of the deadline to replace their cards,” Meth said.

“We found beneficiaries were unclear about where their February grant payment was, and were now being pushed to the Postbank black card, without proper recourse addressing the February non-payment or explaining what would happen or should happen if non-payment continued,” Black Sash said.

“We also noted beneficiaries who had swapped over to the Postbank black cards experiencing short payments on their grants, and they were unable to be assisted by the Postbank staff responsible for card replacements. Beneficiaries are now not aware of how to address the issue.”

For further information Sassa recipients can contact Postbank toll free at 0800 53 54 55 or email [email protected] DM

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