Image: SANews.gov.za

This was announced on Friday by the Ministers of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, and Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe, in a joint press release.

“We have listened to the deep concerns and frustrations from our social grant beneficiaries and we trust that this extension will provide much needed time for grant recipients.

“We strongly encourage our beneficiaries to make sure that they change to the Postbank Black Card as soon as they can, and well ahead of the 20 March 2025 deadline,” the Ministers said.

They emphasised that grant payments will continue as per usual, even after the 20 March deadline.

If beneficiaries have not exchanged their cards by then, their grants will still be paid, but they will need to visit their nearest Post Office branch to access their funds.

To make sure that beneficiaries are assisted in swopping their cards as efficiently as possible, the two departments and entities are working together to add more human capacity and are working with retailers to increase the number of sites across the country.

Mobile offices will also be dispatched to rural areas to ensure as many people are assisted as possible.

“We will monitor the process closely and will receive daily updates as to how the process is going so that we are able to respond quickly to any further issues that may arise.

“Furthermore, the 20th of March deadline marks the date when the Sassa Gold Cards will stop working, not the last day to apply for the new card. After the 20th of March, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their Postbank Black Cards,” the Ministers said.

The two departments are also working with community leaders and local authorities to share clear information and offer assistance where needed.

“Making sure that beneficiaries are able to swop their old gold Sassa cards as easily as possible is our priority and we will update the public regularly,” the statement read.