Postbank has announced it will increase the number of service points in the Western Cape for replacing SASSA Gold Cards with Postbank Black Cards from 16 to 70 over the next three weeks.
This was the commitment they made during a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Social Development on Thursday.
Initially, Postbank had planned to have only 27 sites in the province, of which only 16 materialised. But all 16 sites have not been operational at all times, and numerous issues have been reported with long queues and staff not arriving on time.
The MEC of Social Development Jaco Londt says while he welcomes the announcement of more service points, he is concerned by how government is treating the most vulnerable residents.
“We have been repeatedly calling for a rapid expansion of services after seeing chaos across the province as SASSA grant beneficiaries desperately tried to get their cards replaced before the first deadline. Last week I said that we were fighting for our fair share of increased service points. This was because Western Cape’s grant beneficiaries make up roughly 11% of total SASSA beneficiaries in the country, but the province was only allocated 7% of the Postbank service points.”
He says due to inadequate service points, the Western Cape is falling behind on card migrations, compared to the rest of the country.
Londt says the outstanding card migrations are 12% higher in the Western Cape than outstanding national card migrations.
“To put the percentages in real numbers: on average WC service points were expected to handle almost 24 000 beneficiaries per site whilst the national average was around 8 500.”
He says the lack of service points, especially in rural areas, where residents have to travel vast distances, remains a deep concern.
“I am pleased to hear that Postbank will be boosting service points and increasing staff, but I am concerned about the time period in which it is planning to do so. The deadline for the card replacements is 20 March 2025, but we need guarantees that vulnerable residents – such as those with disabilities, those who are bedridden, and the elderly – will not be left behind in this process.”
Londt has called for surety that beneficiaries living in rural areas are reached by Postbank, whether through its roaming teams or addition of new sites.
He says it would seem prudent for the 20 March deadline to be extended again, because the current rate of replacement makes it impossible for WC beneficiaries to migrate successfully.
“This entire situation is causing unnecessary and quite frankly cruel and callous anxiety for many of the most vulnerable residents of the province. We see this impact daily with the queries we receive. We must ensure that all those who need to replace their cards have a fair chance to reach the new sites.”
The below graphic outlines the service points in the Western Cape that are currently operational, versus additional sites that are planned, mostly in the City of Cape Town:
