As deadline looms, more than 170k SASSA beneficiaries in WC yet to migrate to Postbank cards
SASSA beneficiaries have until Thursday to swop their Gold Cards for Postbank Black Cards.
Postbank has started introducing a new Black Card for SASSA beneficiaries. Picture supplied by SASSA
CAPE TOWN - As the deadline looms for social grant beneficiaries to switch from their old South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Gold cards to the new Postbank black cards, more than 170,000 beneficiaries are yet to do so in the Western Cape.
On Tuesday, South African Social Security Agency officials in the province briefed the Standing Committee on Social Development on the progress made in the migration process.
SASSA beneficiaries have until Thursday to swap their Gold Cards for Postbank Black Cards.
The agency's Western Cape acting regional manager, Sibusiso Ntlangothi, said that more than 147,000 beneficiaries to date had either migrated to Postbank or their owned preferred banks.
READ: Over 400k SASSA beneficiaries migrate to Postbank black cards
Ntlangothi explained what would happen to those who had not migrated after the deadline.
"The gold card will stop working from March 20 and if you're holding a gold card you will be holding dummy card, you might as well throw it away. But Postbank has made arrangements with the Post Office that these beneficiaries will go to the Post Office, they don't need a card, they only need their IDs [identity document] and when they get to the Post Office their money will be there."
Ntlangothi said they were doing everything in their power to help as many beneficiaries as they could before Thursday's deadline.
"If you look at the statistics, we may not finish but we are trying to reduce numbers as much as possible so that the people who are going to the Post Office are less to avoid a crisis."