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I welcome the announcement by the national departments of Social Development and Communications and Digital Technologies that the deadline for the replacement of the SASSA Gold Cards with the Postbank Black Cards has been extended to 20 March 2025.
My office has been inundated with queries and complaints from SASSA grant beneficiaries across the Western Cape, even though SASSA is a national entity and does not fall within the powers of the Western Cape Government.
Many of the complaints are centered around the lack of Postbank sites in rural areas. It is unacceptable that the majority of service points in the province are in the Cape Metro, with only a few in George, Vredenburg, and Caledon (although we have received reports that the sites in Vredenburg and Caledon do not seem to be operational). The offices also need to be adequately staffed to deal with the influx of beneficiaries.
We have been pressuring SASSA and Postbank to address the flaws we have found in the card migration process, such as the lack of service points and adequate staffing. This is still a huge concern, as we cannot leave vulnerable residents living in rural areas behind in this process.
Apparently, mobile offices will now be dispatched to service rural areas, but there will need to be clear and adequate communication on where and when these mobile units will be in the areas. Our office can assist in communicating this schedule, to ensure no resident is left behind in this process.
These are the sites SASSA people can replace their cards at:
- Boxer Langa
- Boxer Philippi
- Boxer Mitchells Plain
- Checkers Hyper Parow
- Usave Bellville
- Shoprite Bayside Mall
- Shoprite Eerste River
- Shoprite Khayelitsha CBD
- Shoprite Gugulethu
- Shoprite Adderley Street
- Shoprite Thembalethu
- Shoprite George
- Shoprite Paarl
- Shoprite Vredenburg
- USave Caledon
Postbank must increase the number of service points in rural areas, and adequately resource other sites in larger areas like the Cape Metro where residents have been experiencing extremely long lines while trying to replace their old cards. We have heard of elderly residents standing in queues from the early morning hours, only to be turned away. Many of our most vulnerable residents are spending money that they don’t have to travel long distances to get to facilities that may or may not be able to help them.
As a government, we have a profound duty of care to protect our most vulnerable residents. We must demonstrate this by resolving the current crisis swiftly and with humanity.
We will continue monitoring the card migration process, to ensure vulnerable residents – for whom these grants are essential for their survival – receive the best possible service from these national entities.
I will also be raising this issue during a meeting with the National Minister of Social Development and MECs from other provinces next week.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.