As the deadline for replacing South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) gold cards approaches, concerns are growing over the accessibility challenges faced by rural, elderly, and disabled beneficiaries around the country.

Sassa and Postbank announced that all social grant beneficiaries must replace their gold cards by February 28 or risk being unable to access their grants.

Sassa said the final payments using the gold cards occurred during grant payouts between February 4 and 6.

Beneficiaries who do not replace their cards in time will be unable to withdraw funds, make transactions, or check balances as they cards will be deactivated.

Postbank CEO Nikki Mbengashe emphasised the urgency, saying: “We appeal to beneficiaries that 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.”

However, the transition has sparked concerns, particularly regarding accessibility and communication.

Civil society group Black Sash and other monitoring organisations have noted that beneficiaries in rural areas face significant challenges in reaching replacement sites, as they are often located far from their homes or usual grant collection points.

They argued that this has led to additional financial strain, as beneficiaries must pay for transport to visit sites to get their replacement cards.

“Beneficiaries have to travel to sites that are not necessarily close to where they live or collect their grants,” said Evashnee Naidu, Black Sash regional manager.

“This means extra costs, and many beneficiaries simply cannot afford to travel multiple times to ensure they get their new cards.”

Additionally, Black Sash reports that even after beneficiaries make the journey to the sites, technical issues, such as network outages on grant payment days, continue to hinder the replacement process.

Another pressing concern is the vulnerability of elderly and disabled beneficiaries.

“Elderly beneficiaries, especially those with disabilities, face major obstacles in getting to replacement sites. This could lead to thousands of vulnerable beneficiaries being left without access to their grants after February 2025,” Naidu said.

“Sassa has abdicated its responsibility to ensure that beneficiaries are fully supported during this transition. There needs to be more visible support and clearer recourse mechanisms for beneficiaries facing challenges,” Naidu said.

Postbank has recommended that individuals who are unable to visit the sites contact customer care to arrange for home visits.

Western Cape Social Development MEC Jaco Londt said since the announcement, they had received numerous queries and complaints from across the province about the uncertainty of the migration.

“We have also had reports of chaotic scenes in certain areas like Drakenstein, where grant beneficiaries flocked to Postbank to get their new card, but the office was apparently not operational.”

On the list of all the sites in the Western Cape where people can get their Postbank Black Cards, Londt said most of these sites are in the Cape Town Metro, only two are outside of the city, in George.

“This is unacceptable because it leaves thousands of grant beneficiaries living in rural areas in the Western Cape without accessible options.

“SASSA, Postbank, and the National Department of Social Development must find an urgent solution to ensure grant beneficiaries living in rural areas are also accommodated in the card transitioning process. More service points must be established – and until that happens, the deadline for the expiration of SASSA Gold Cards should be extended.”

DA KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson on Social Development Shontel de Boer highlighted that those who miss the deadline would have to stand in line at Shoprite for a cash payout, without the convenience of accessing their funds via the new black card.

De Boer urged beneficiaries to consider transferring their Sassa grants to their own bank accounts for long-term convenience, pointing out that this would mitigate future challenges such as locked or lost cards.

“These issues create unnecessary suffering for beneficiaries. We urge recipients to complete the necessary steps to switch their grants to a regular bank, so they won’t face future obstacles.”

Cape Times