NATIONAL NEWS - The Post Office has been gazetted as the preferred payment channel for all social grants in South Africa in a ground-breaking government-led initiative. As a result, over one million social grants beneficiaries have been swapped from the outgoing CPS Sassa card to the new Sassa card issued by Postbank.
"The first million beneficiaries do not include those beneficiaries that have willingly opted to take up Postbank Mzansi accounts as their preferred payment method," says Sapo COO Lindiwe Kwele.
The Post Office says social grant beneficiaries with the old white Sassa card, which will be fully phased out by 30 September, should swap it for the new gold Sassa card. Card swapping can be done at Sassa offices nationally on any work day, as well as at all the Sassa pay-points during the coming July grants payment cycle.
"The Post Office and Sassa have deployed teams throughout the country where dedicated temporary card swap sites are established, using existing infrastructure such as municipality halls to expedite the migration to the new card.
"This will ensure that as many people as possible are put onto the new Sassa cards before the end of August. We call on social grants beneficiaries to swap their cards and to not leave it to the last minute," says Kwele.
It takes approximately three minutes to be issued with a new card once you reach the card issue desk on site, so it is a very quick process.
Post offices nationally will soon also become a card swap channel and the Post Office will issue announcements to social grants beneficiaries once this is possible.
Gold card
The new Sassa card is gold in colour and has the country's coat of arms on the right hand side as well as the letters, "Sassa", inscribed on the left.
"We have seen people being unwittingly persuaded to accept other cards, only to realise later that they will be charged all sorts of exorbitant fees.
"The new gold Sassa card guarantees that you will not be debited with a monthly service fee of R10 or more, or illegal deductions for loans, airtime or electricity," says Kwele.
The only deduction permitted is for funeral policies, up to no more than 10% of the grant value.
"Beneficiaries exercise their method of payment, so that no one is locked in for life.
"Should any beneficiary wish to change, all they need to do is to go to a Sassa office or a pay-point as soon as possible with their ID and tell the officials on site that they want the new Sassa gold card," says Kwele.
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