SASSA card swap deadline: More resources promised, but 'no evidence on the ground' in queues

John Maytham talks to Bridget Masango, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development.

There is still a backlog of more than 2 million grant beneficiaries who need to upgrade their SASSA cards by the extended deadline of 20 March.

It was reported on Wednesday that Postbank said it had only managed to replace 550,000 of the total 2.9 million gold cards with the new black ones so far.

CapeTalk's John Maytham speaks to Bridget Masango, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development.

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Through her fact-finding colleagues, Masango herself has heard the stories of beneficiaries enduring long queues only to find that the new cards have run out at a specific site.

"It has been so bad; and this just comes out of what we have received from the local councillors who are trying to help people... and this includes older persons and persons with disabilities that are found in queues with their wheelchairs and their walkers and their crutches."

Bridget Masango, Chair - Portfolio Committee on Social Development

Maytham presses her on any real action to improve the situation in terms of what they're hearing from the South African Social Security Agency and Postnet.

During an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the Committee did receive pledges of increased resources, Masango says.

"What we heard is that the sites have been increased and cards have been ordered in full numbers and the bodies on the ground have been increased to improve serving of people... We were assured that those things we asked for have been done - that's increased sites, cards and human resource capacity."

Bridget Masango, Chair - Portfolio Committee on Social Development

However, Maytham says what he's hearing from people is that they are seeing 'absolutely no signs' of this promised increase of  resources/ 

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