Millions of clients with a SASSA Postbank account are in a race against time to secure their social grants for 2025. The South African Social Security Agency and Postbank have set an ‘impossible’ deadline of Thursday 20 March 2025 to migrate all gold cards to black. Deputy Minister for Digital Communications, Mondli Gungubele, has labelled the deadline – which is just one-and-a-half weeks’ away – as ‘impossible’. However, a new issue around securing a clients’ SASSA Postbank account is quickly emerging …
SECURE YOUR SASSA POSTBANK ACCOUNT
Last week, Postbank and SASSA officials explained to a parliamentary oversight committee that out of approximately 3-million clients, 1.9 million still needed to migrate their accounts. Since the start of the card-swap debacle, roughly 900 000 accounts have been secured (30% completion rate). Once again, it was noted that the SASSA Postbank account swap was to upgrade to a black card with extra security features, following poor Postbank audits of the past. Therefore, with just 8 working days to go to deadline, the task seems insurmountable.
So, what will the ramifications be for SASSA beneficiaries who do not get the black card in time? Thankfully, the steering committee says SASSA Postbank accounts will not be frozen or suspended. The next payment run of SASSA grants – which is still unconfirmed by the way – will go ahead as usual. However, if your SASSA Postbank account has not been migrated in time, you will be unable to draw upon your grant monies with the old gold card.
VISIT AN SA POST OFFICE
So, to confirm, there is no account suspension or freezing from SASSA and Postbank. Your money will reflect and continue to accrue. But you simply will not be able to access it with your old SASSA gold card. However, you will be able to draw money from the South African Post Office (SAPO). And Postbank’s contingency measure is that recipients will still be able to swap/collect new black cards into April. It reminds beneficiaries that they can find participating outlets by dialling *120*218*3#.
However, as we’ve heard from numerous readers, the issue still remains long queues, slow service and systems offline at SASSA Postbank account retailers. Unbelievably, due to the postponed 2025 Budget Speech, there is still no confirmation of payment dates or increased amounts for ‘core’ SASSA recipients anyway. So, there’s great uncertainty coming next month for SASSA grant recipients …
Therefore, we strongly urge clients to get in touch with the agency for more information:
- SASSA toll-free line: 0800 601 011
- WhatsApp SASSA: 082 046 8553.
- Call the Head Office of SASSA: 012 400 2322
- Email SASSA: grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
- Or email: president@presidency.gov.za
Remember, the agency can never stop paying your SASSA grant without reviewing your account. If the agency does choose to review your SASSA account, you must receive an official letter of request giving you three months’ notice. SASSA officials will look for the following:
- Whether your financial circumstances have changed since your application.
- If you failed to co-operate with an official during questioning/review.
- You committed any form of fraud or misrepresented yourself/your finances in the application.
- If you’re absent from the country and don’t collect your welfare money for three consecutive months.
HAVE YOU COMPLETED THE SASSA CARD SWAP?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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