As part of the ongoing initiative to transition beneficiaries from Gold Cards to Black Cards, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and Postbank have launched a home visit programme to assist bed-ridden beneficiaries with the migration process.

This announcement comes ahead of the March 20 deadline. Postbank CEO Ntomboxolo Mbengashe made the statement during a joint media briefing with SASSA on Monday in Pretoria.

As part of the home visits programme, SASSA and Postbank teams will assist beneficiaries directly at their residences, including private homes and nursing facilities, to ensure seamless access to their grants.

Mbengashe urged the public to stay informed about the home visits and emphasised that strict criteria would be applied during the process.

“We advise social grant beneficiaries and the public to be fully aware that home visits are available only for qualifying beneficiaries, and every request will be assessed on its merits by applying strict criteria,” she said.

Beneficiaries are reminded that their request must be accompanied by a note from a medical doctor, social services worker, or a clinic’s medical report confirming their illness and complete incapacitation.

The minimum criteria for requesting a home visit are as follows:

▪ Illness that may be considered to have rendered the beneficiary incapacitated in movements;

▪ People with incapacitating disability.

Mbengashe added that home visit bookings can be made either by the beneficiaries themselves or by someone close to the beneficiary who is familiar with their movements and support needs. This person does not have to be a family member of the beneficiary.

To make a booking for a home visit, the beneficiary's ID number, residential details, and contact information will be required. The beneficiary's ID number will also serve as a reference number for any follow-up inquiries.

Mbengashe also warned grant beneficiaries and the public to note that home visit requests should only be made when genuinely necessary and when the beneficiary meets the set criteria. To prevent abuse of the home visit system, requests made for unqualified beneficiaries will result in an R250 fine.

Mbengashe urged beneficiaries to remain vigilant and not be misled by fraudulent activities or individuals attempting to exploit the home visits program.

“We would like to warn beneficiaries not to be duped into changing banks without their [full understanding].

“Only Postbank is running this process of swapping the SASSA gold card. Please be careful not to allow other people to confuse you to change banks without your consent,” she said.

Mbengashe also acknowledged the challenge faced during the first three months of the migration, stating that the numbers were lower than expected. However, once the deadline was announced in February, a surge of beneficiaries came forward.

This rush caused the process, initially planned for six months, to be condensed into just three months, leading to concentration and long queues.

Despite this, Mbengashe expressed satisfaction with the management of the queues, noting that in February, 450 000 cards were issued, and by the second week of March, over 200 000 cards had been distributed.

Beneficiaries in need of home visit assistance can schedule their bookings directly at any SASSA local office or contact the SASSA Customer Care Centre at 0800 60 10 11 or the Postbank Call Centre at 0800 53 54 55 for telephonic arrangements.

The Star

masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za

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SASSA officials visit vulnerable beneficiaries to assist with Gold Card migration