The deadline for replacing South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Gold Cards has been extended once again, now set for 31 May 2025.
Postbank CEO announced the extension on Friday, following the lapse of the previous 20 March deadline, which left thousands of grant beneficiaries yet to transition to Postbank Black Cards.
Western Cape MEC for Social Development, Jaco Londt, noted that many members of the public have sought confirmation regarding the new deadline due to ongoing confusion surrounding the process.
“People simply do not know what to believe anymore. This is why, as per our commitment to assisting wherever we can, we are trying to get the correct information out to the public, despite neither SASSA nor Postbank falling under the responsibility of the Western Cape Government.”
Postbank has confirmed that beneficiaries can continue using their Gold Cards until 31 May 2025. During April and May, they have the option to switch to the Postbank Black Card or update their payment method at a SASSA office to receive grants via a bank of their choice.
Importantly, grant recipients have been advised NOT to visit a Post Office to withdraw their grants, contrary to previous instructions.
“We urge residents not to wait. Please make the change as soon as possible, to avoid added pressure on the system.”
Londt also called on Postbank to enhance its communication efforts, highlighting that Friday’s announcement had not been widely disseminated, leading to continued confusion among beneficiaries.
This week, Londt attended several Postbank community outreach events in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.
“I saw very few people at some sites, because the broader community was not aware of the outreaches. The roving teams were even doing home visits to assist some beneficiaries to make the card switch. People are not aware of these outreaches because the communication has been subpar. We have been sharing information that has been made available to us from Postbank on social media, but we require more information earlier.”
The Department of Social Development is scheduled to meet with SASSA and Postbank next week, where Londt intends to stress the urgency of improving communication and planning.
“We know there are staff on the ground working extremely hard to help vulnerable residents. But we also know there are a myriad problems that could have been avoided had proper planning gone into this process.”
Londt also expressed frustration over what he described as a pattern of inconsistency from national entities regarding the Gold Card replacement process, which has further exacerbated public uncertainty.
