The National Departments of Social Development and Communications and Digital Technologies have announced that the deadline for the replacement of the SASSA Gold Cards with the Postbank Black Cards has been extended to 20 March 2025.

This follows numerous queries and complaints from SASSA grant beneficiaries across the country who have been met with long queues at service points.

The portfolio committee on Social Development on Thursday urged the Department to extend the deadline.

In a joint statement on Friday, the Minister of Social Development Nokuzola Tolashe and the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi announced the decision to extend the deadline, acknowledging the growing frustration of grant recipients.

“We strongly encourage our beneficiaries to make sure that they change to the black Postbank card as soon as possible, and well ahead of the 20 March 2025 deadline. We would like to emphasise that grant payments will continue as usual, even after the 20 March deadline. If beneficiaries haven’t exchanged the cards by then, their grants will still be paid, but they will need to visit the nearest Post Office branch to access their funds.”

The Western Cape MEC of Social Development Jaco Londt has been visiting service points in the province speaking to beneficiaries. He says many of the complaints are centered around the lack of Postbank sites in rural areas.

“It is unacceptable that the majority of service points in the province are in the Cape Metro, with only a few in George, Vredenburg, and Caledon (although we have received reports that the sites in Vredenburg and Caledon do not seem to be operational). The offices also need to be adequately staffed to deal with the influx of beneficiaries.”

He says they have been informed that mobile offices will now be dispatched to service rural areas, but he adds there will need to be clear and adequate communication on where and when these mobile units will be.

“Our office can assist in communicating this schedule, to ensure no resident is left behind in this process.”

Currently, these are the sites SASSA beneficiaries can visit to replace their cards:

• Boxer Langa
• Boxer Philippi
• Boxer Mitchells Plain
• Checkers Hyper Parow
• Usave Bellville
• Shoprite Bayside Mall
• Shoprite Eerste River
• Shoprite Khayelitsha CBD
• Shoprite Gugulethu
• Shoprite Adderley Street
• Shoprite Thembalethu
• Shoprite George
• Shoprite Paarl
• Shoprite Vredenburg
• USave Caledon

Londt says they will continue monitoring the card migration process, to ensure vulnerable residents receive the best service. He will also be raising this issue during a meeting with the National Minister of Social Development and MECs from other provinces next week.