MUST-KNOW NEWS: Nation-wide weekend blitz to swap grants beneficiaries to new SASSA card

SASSA card holders who are still using the old SASSA card, which will be fully phased-out by 30 September this year, should swap their old card for a new one this weekend at dedicated venues throughout the country.

In Durban, the venues are Durban main post office, Umlazi’s Mega City post office, Kings Road post office in Pinetown and Philani Valley post office. SASSA cardholders can swap their cards at these venues between 8am and 4pm on Saturday, 16 June.

These are among the more than 70 sites where SASSA and post office employees will be on duty throughout the country.

READ: What you need to know when applying for a SASSA grant

The Post Office (SAPO) advises SASSA beneficiaries to take advantage of this extended operating period to swap their cards before the end of August, to avoid a last-minute rush. “We have deployed resources throughout the country to ensure as many people as possible are put onto the new SASSA cards before the end of August. As a result, people should not leave it to the last minute to swap their cards. It takes about three minutes to be issued with a new card once you reach the card issue desk on site, so it is a very swift process”, says SAPO COO, Lindiwe Kwele.

READ ALSO: Sassa grants: who qualifies, and how do you apply?

The new SASSA card, issued by Post Office’s Postbank, has been specifically designed to prevent challenges with the illegal deductions that left many beneficiaries out of pocket in the past. The only deductions allowed on the new SASSA card will be for funeral policies on non-child grants, which should also not be more than 10% of the total grant.

The new SASSA card operates fully within the national payment systems and has the following benefits:

• Three cash withdrawal from any participating merchant (such as Shoprite, Boxer and so on);
• One free over-the-counter cash at the Post Office;
• Free swipes (purchase payments) at all merchants;
• One free ATM balance enquiry per month.

SAPO says beneficiaries will not be charged R10 per month, or any such ‘service fee’, when using the new SASSA card, so a person gets their grant in full.

“It is important for beneficiaries to know which card will cost, and how much, when exercising their choice. The new SASSA card is yellowish to gold in colour. You can still change to the new SASSA card even if you unwittingly accepted another card recently,” added Kwele.