Sassa beneficiaries who were unable to swap their gold card for the new Postbank black card can now breathe a sigh of relief after Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has confirmed that the deadline has been extended once again.
Briefing the media on the outcomes of a recent cabinet meeting Ntshavheni said the deadline has been extended to April 30, 2025 to allow Sassa and the Department of Social Development to "complete the migration of the outstanding beneficiaries"
This is the second extension of the deadline. It was originally set for February 28, 2025, then extended to March 20, 2025, before the latest extension.
There had been widespread concern that the beneficiaries who were not able to make the switch would not be able to access their money.
The extensions were prompted by difficulties faced by many beneficiaries in making the switch to the new black card, with elderly beneficiaries often forced to wait in long queues for hours to obtain it.
“The deadline for Sassa beneficiaries to swap their Sassa gold card for the Postbank black card has been extended to April 30 to allow Sassa and the Department of Social Development to complete the migration of the outstanding beneficiaries,” Ntshavheni said.
Ntshavheni also noted that only 800,000 beneficiaries had yet to migrate to the new card, expressing confidence that the latest deadline would be sufficient for everyone to complete the switch.
“The Postbank has met eight of the nine requirements of the South African Reserve Bank for paying social grants, and the last outstanding item being the physical replacement of the cards.”
Cape Argus