The Departments of Communication and Social Development have extended the deadline for SASSA grant beneficiaries to swap their gold SASSA card for the black Postbank card, to 20 March.
Initially, the cut-off date was the 28 February.
"We have listened to the deep concerns and frustrations from our social grant beneficiaries and we trust that this extension will provide much needed time for grant recipients," they said in a joint statement on Friday.
They have also assured beneficiaries that grant payments would continue as usual, even after 20 March deadline.
“If beneficiaries haven't exchanged their cards by then, their grants will still be paid, but they will need to visit their nearest Post Office branch to access their funds,” the statement said.
Mobile offices will also be dispatched to focus on rural areas and to ensure that as many people as possible are assisted.
They also emphasise that the 20th of March marks the day on which the SASSA gold cards will stop working and not the last day to apply for the new card.
“After the 20th of March, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their Postbank Black Cards.”
“To make sure that we can assist beneficiaries to swap their cards as efficiently as possible, our departments and entities are working together to add more human capacity and are working with retailers to increase the number of sites across the country.”
According to the joint statement, 20 March deadline "marks the date when the SASSA Gold Cards will stop working, not the last day to apply for the new card. After the 20th of March, beneficiaries will still be able to apply for and receive their Postbank Black Cards."
"We will monitor the process closely and will receive daily updates as to how the process is going so that we are able to respond quickly to any further issues that may arise," the two ministries said.
