Cabinet has called on all social grant beneficiaries to replace their South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Gold Cards with the new Postbank Black Cards by the 20 March 2025 deadline.
In a statement on Friday, Cabinet said this is to ensure that beneficiaries continue to access their SASSA grant payments without disruption.
“Social grant beneficiaries can go to their nearest Postbank site located at retailers such as Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave, and Boxer to get their Postbank Black Card," Cabinet said.
After the 20 March 2025 deadline - which was extended from the initial 28 February deadline - SASSA Gold Cards will no longer function at ATMs and retailers.
The call follows concerns among grant recipients about the looming expiry of the SASSA Gold Cards and potential payment delays.
Postbank, which administers the social grant payment system, has however assured beneficiaries that the transition to the new Postbank Black Card is simple and free of charge.
The move is part of Postbank’s broader efforts to modernise and secure the grant payment system, following past disruptions caused by fraud, card cloning, and system failures.
By migrating to the new cards, beneficiaries can expect improved security and reliability when accessing their grants.
Postbank has deployed additional support at designated retailers and SASSA offices to assist with the replacement process, urging beneficiaries to make the switch before the deadline to avoid any inconvenience.
The agency has previously said that Postbank has also made it easy for beneficiaries to locate the nearest place in every province where they can collect their Postbank Black Cards.
All they need to do from the comfort of their homes is to use their cellphone and:
- Dial: *120*218*3#
- To continue, reply by pressing number: 1; and
- Reply with the number representing the province they live in.
To get the new Postbank Black Cards, beneficiaries are required to have a valid South African ID, or a temporary ID. Beneficiaries are urged to be aware that no card will be issued without these documents.
Ensuring that minimum documentation is required to get the new Postbank Black Cards is in line with SASSA and Postbank's ongoing commitment to continuously improve the customer experience of all social grant beneficiaries.
The Postbank Black Cards will be issued free of charge. For further enquiries, beneficiaries can contact Postbank on 0800 53 54 55 or SASSA on 0800 60 10 11. – SAnews.gov.za
