Pensioners Flock to Replace Expiring SASSA Cards Amid Concerns Over Grant Access
In the lead-up to the end of February, pensioners and social grant beneficiaries across KwaZulu-Natal are facing long queues outside SASSA service points, eager to replace their soon-to-expire Gold Cards with the new Postbank Black Cards.
A wave of SASSA recipients in Nquthu, KwaZulu-Natal, have been waiting for hours outside service points to swap their Gold Cards, which are set to expire by February’s end. For weeks, both SASSA and Postbank have been urging beneficiaries to exchange their cards, but this process is limited to specific locations.
Since September 2024, Postbank has been rolling out the new Black Cards, replacing the Gold Cards. However, some beneficiaries have raised alarms about difficulties accessing their grants, raising questions about how the changeover would impact payments.
In an official statement released this month, SASSA and Postbank highlighted the urgency: “After the deadline, Gold Cards will be deactivated for ATM withdrawals, retail transactions, balance inquiries, and statement printing,” they warned. The organizations stressed the importance of not waiting until the last moment to replace the cards. Themba Matlou, acting CEO of SASSA, emphasized that obtaining the Postbank Black Card now is essential to ensuring uninterrupted payments.
On Wednesday, the lines outside the Cambridge Plaza were teeming with pensioners, disabled individuals, and mothers with infants, many of whom had travelled from remote villages. Phayizana Ndlovu, an 84-year-old from Qhudeni—80 kilometres away from Nquthu—spent R350 on a taxi to make the journey. Accompanied by her daughter and granddaughter due to her blindness and difficulty walking, she expressed the dire need for the new card: “If I don’t change my SASSA card, there will be no income in my house. We will die of hunger because my family of 12 depends on my old age grant,” said Ndlovu.
While Ndlovu was waiting in line, SASSA official Siphesihle Mbatha came outside to address the crowd, informing them of the office’s backlog of applications since January. She advised beneficiaries to visit nearby post offices or retail stores instead, citing faster processing through these locations.
As the deadline nears, the pressure on SASSA and Postbank grows, with thousands of beneficiaries rushing to secure their new Postbank Black Cards. For many, the switch is not just a matter of convenience—it’s crucial for maintaining the income that sustains their families.
