Sassa extends card deadline
SASSA has intervened on behalf of about 370 000 social grant beneficiaries - including 14 800 in the Northern Cape – who failed to meet the December 14 deadline to swop to the new gold Sassa card.
These beneficiaries now have until December 31 2018 to do so.
This is because the white Sassa card expires in December and beneficiaries have been urged to come with their IDS and old white Sassa card to collect their new cards at their nearest post office or Sassa local office by end December.
According to Inno Khunou, Sassa Northern Cape spokesperson, there are around 14 800 “unswopped” beneficiaries in the Province.
This includes 3 849 in the Frances Baard District, 4 157 in John Taolo Gaetsewe, 1 457 in Namaqua, 2 341 in Pixley ka Seme and 3 042 in ZF Mgcawu.
“Sassa has an arrangement with the South African Post Office (Sapo) and its banking partner to enable beneficiaries with the old Sassa cards to collect their January grants from December 28 2018 at ATMS and supermarkets. Cash paypoints will pay from January 03 2019 onwards according to the relevant schedules per area. The January 2019 and subsequent grants will not be available on the old expired cards,” Khunou said yesterday.
“We had to put our heads together to come up with a working solution because social assistance is a constitutional right. As a caring government we could not deny our beneficiaries their rights because of a technicality, so we just had to cut the red tape and make it happen. Albeit, we also want to urge our beneficiaries to please respond to our messages on time, in the future,” acting CEO, Abraham Mahlangu, added.
Beneficiaries who want to continue receiving their grants through their personal bank accounts do not need to get the new gold Sassa card. Instead, they will continue to draw their money at their banks as usual.
Those that wish to change to their personal bank accounts are required to fill in the Annexure C form at Sassa or Sapo, giving permission to have their grants paid into their bank accounts.
Beneficiaries can also enjoy benefits such as one free withdrawal at post offices per month and free balance enquiries at stores with point-ofsale machines.
Beneficiaries are reminded that the gold Sassa card does not allow deductions except for one funeral policy not exceeding 10% of the total grant amount. In addition, they are advised to keep their PIN numbers secret and not to respond to suspicious offers made on social media.
The rumour that beneficiaries will receive a bonus in December is also fake news. Sassa does not pay out bonuses to beneficiaries.
For social grant related enquiries or messages received by beneficiaries via their cellphones, call the Northern Cape toll-free number at 0800 003 077.