The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and Postbank are appealing to social grant beneficiaries to replace their Sassa Gold Cards with new Postbank Black Cards by Friday 28 February 2025.
After the deadline, Gold Cards will no longer be functional for any transactions. Sassa grant payments that started in the week of 4 to 6 February 2025 will be the last payments that will be made to Sassa Gold Cards.
“We appeal to beneficiaries who have not yet switched to Postbank Black Cards to take the opportunity and get the new cards before the deadline of 28 February 2025, to avoid not being able to access their Sassa grant payments,” explained Postbank CEO, Nikki Mbengashe. “All current Sassa Gold Cards in everyone’s possession will stop working on 28 February 2025, irrespective of the expiry date written on the card.”
“Please go to your nearest Postbank site, which is mainly located at one of the retailers near you that include Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave and Boxer, and get your Postbank Black Card to continue transacting,” she added.
To obtain the new Postbank Black Cards, beneficiaries need only a valid South African ID or temporary ID. No cards will be issued without these documents.
The cards are free, supporting Postbank’s financial inclusion goals and Sassa’s social welfare mandate. They are immediately functional across all National Payment System channels, including ATMs, point-of-sale machines, and anywhere bank cards are accepted, with no waiting period. The cards also feature updated safety and functionality enhancements.
“Our strategy for where we chose to issue our cards is based on where customers already get their grants now,” announced Mbengashe. “We have worked with these retailers because they are familiar to our customer and we endeavoured to be as close as possible to where most beneficiaries are in each province.”
Postbank has made it easy for beneficiaries to locate their nearest collection point. Beneficiaries can use their phone and follow the steps:
- Dial: *120*218*3#
- To continue, reply by pressing number: 1; and
- Reply with the number representing the province they live in.
“Our appeal to social grant beneficiaries is that they should not wait for the last minute, or for when their cards stop working,” said Sassa Acting CEO, Themba Matlou. “They must get their Postbank Black Cards now at their nearby card replacement site as that will guarantee that they continue receiving their payments.”
Compiled by Warren Hawkins
