These KZN Post Office branches may not have cash for Sassa grants

As millions of pensioners line up to collect their Sassa grant on Tuesday, Post Bank has urged SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) social grant beneficiaries in the KwaZulu-Natal province to collect their money at ATMs and retailers, as post office branches may not have sufficient cash on hand.

Post Bank said recipients can also collect their grants from Boxer, Pick n Pay, Spar, Shoprite and Usave instead of South African Post Office branches.

“This is due to many Post Office branches in KwaZulu-Natal anticipating insufficient cash in store as a result of cash delivery delays,” it said.

Here is a list of the branches affected:

“The Sassa gold cards operate like any other bank card and can be used to make cash withdrawals from any bank ATM. The cards can also be used to make withdrawals over the till inside retail stores as well as make in-store purchases,” it added.

The Post Office said its branches in KwaZulu-Natal will be open and operational to assist social grants beneficiaries with Sassa non-cash services including PIN resets.

Postbank assured Sassa grant recipients that upcoming payments will go ahead without a glitch, saying it has taken significant precautionary measures to avoid delays and errors.

ALSO READ: Sassa pensions: Ministers must tackle systemic flaws at Postbank

Glitches

Last month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on Sassa to consider using other banks to pay grants after more than 600 000 beneficiaries were left hanging.

This after a technical glitch in Postbank’s social grant payment system left beneficiaries without money.

DA MP Alexandra Abrahams said Postbank’s failure to address the various payments was the latest in a long line of “technical glitches” or “hacking attempts” that affect vulnerable grant beneficiaries on an almost monthly basis.

Of the 21 banks used for the payment of social grants, only one bank, a bankrupt state-owned Postbank, failed to pay grants. It services about 10% of the 5.3 million beneficiaries paid via Postbank’s Sassa gold cards monthly.

Additional reporting by Unathi Nkanjeni

ALSO READ: DA calls for Sassa to use other banks for grant payments