SOCIAL justice organisations have welcomed government’s announcement to extend the deadline for grant recipients to switch from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card to the new Postbank black card.

Beneficiaries waiting in the sweltering heat of Durban to replace their cards at Boxer Isipingo, but delayed by network issues. Picture: Black Sash

The extension, announced yesterday, pushes the deadline to March 20, following growing pressure from organisations and the ongoing challenges faced by elderly South Africans.

In a joint statement, Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Tolashe and Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi explained that the decision to extend the deadline was driven by the increasing concerns and frustrations expressed by grant recipients.

The rollout of the new Postbank black cards has caused significant delays and confusion, especially for pensioners in rural areas who are forced to travel hundreds of kilometres, only to be told that the renewal site does not exist or is not functional.

Advocacy group Black Sash has been actively monitoring the situation, with reports from their field monitors showing that rural and semi-urban areas such as Estcourt, Uitenhage, Empageni, Bloemhof, Malmesbury and Humansdorp are among the worst affected.

In these areas, pensioners are travelling up to 200 kilometres, only to find that the renewal site either doesn’t exist or is not operational.

“We’ve seen first hand how this chaotic rollout is putting elderly people in an incredibly stressful situation,” said Oliver Meth, National Communications and Media Manager from Black Sash. “It’s not just the long queues; it’s the lack of clarity about where to go and when, which is making it impossible for pensioners to get their cards renewed in time.”

After putting out a note for people to share the stories, the Saturday Star was inundated with calls and messages from pensioners sharing harrowing stories of how they waited for hours in queues only to be turned away.

Vivienne de Klerk shared the emotional toll of trying to renew her 77-year-old mother's card at a designated retailer in Parow. De Klerk and her mother went to the SASSA offices on Monday, then were sent to a retailer in Parow for card renewals. They arrived at 6am on Tuesday to find a long queue.

After receiving number 169, they saw only about 60 people were helped by 5pm and were told to return the next day. On Wednesday, they arrived at 4am, but by 9am were told Sassa wasn’t coming. When staff did arrive, they were told to go home.

De Klerk said they were ready to give up, as her mother still hadn’t received her card.

“I am not dragging my 77-year-old mother out every morning to face the elements and not be held. We are exposed, it is dangerous to leave the house that early and we just cannot keep doing it.”

Similarly, one other person - who wishes to remain anonymous - spoke about her struggles to help her blind mother renew her card. “My mom is blind and they refused to help her at the Parow site. She could only get a lift that one day. They pushed her out the way and told her to come back at 3am in the morning. I tried to call Sassa to go to her as she is disabled.

“They advertise they will go to disabled people’s homes but you can't get hold of them. This is a nightmare.”

Ruth Verwey from Kempton Park, described her family’s frustrations with having her elderly mother’s card renewed.

The Verweys spent six hours waiting, during which elderly people became frustrated and began arguing, she said.

Elna Sussen, from Randburg, shared her experience, noting that although she was given priority assistance due to being in a wheelchair, she still encountered difficulties reaching the site.

"I don't have transport, and the nearest place to me is quite some distance. How do I get there with my Sassa money? Then I found out I could get it paid into my bank account. When we arrived, the queue had stopped, around 11am, and we were told to return on Monday and Tuesday. By then, I believe it would be too late to have the money paid into my bank account for this month.

“The staff member who helped me was rude and dismissive. They just handed me a form, and we were done in five minutes.

“I also heard the queues at other locations are long, and the list of places I received was incorrect. I didn’t have TV or radio, and if a church friend hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. Not everyone is privileged enough to have access to such information - that’s why we rely on Sassa."

Claire Lemos reported that she took her grandmother to the Shoprite at Bayside Mall, Tableview, in Cape Town, said that there was only one computer to assist hundreds of people.

She also mentioned that security had informed her that some people had slept in their cars outside the mall to arrive early, hoping to be helped.

Black Sash supported the extension and had submitted several demands to the government the day before, urging a response within 24 hours, including the request for a deadline extension. Other demands included:

– A clear action plan from SASSA to address the ongoing issues with card renewals.

– The establishment of more service centres and mobile roving units, particularly in rural areas.

– Efficient payment systems to ensure no pensioners are left behind.

Meth said: “We are happy that Sassa had taken one of our demands into consideration. Hopefully they will use the time to fix the technical glitches and ensure a smooth transition to the new card.”

The Association for the Aged (Tafta), which is home to almost 1600 elderly people in Durban with most of them receiving government grants, said they’ve encouraged their residents to consider other methods to access their money, rather than using the Sassa card.

Tafta CEO, Femada Shamam said most of their residents get their money paid into their bank accounts with others opting to have their grants paid directly into Tafta’s bank account to cover their cost for care.

“This process offers convenience and financial ease for older people who have comfort in knowing their cost for care is covered on a monthly basis, and they then have the freedom to utilise the remaining funds that are issued to them via Tafta offices,” she said.

The remaining few who still use the Sassa gold cards were assisted with their application for new cards by Checkers. However a few others were not so lucky.

“Residents at Tafta on Ridge are experiencing difficulty with their applications, having no success with 3 different outlets in the area. We are currently providing counsel for residents experiencing stress as a result of the changeover and will utilise the SMS code *120*218*3# issued by SARS to identify outlets that are equipped to facilitate applications,” Shamam said.

The Elim Residential Home in Phoenix, says they have 19 elderly women at their facility and they didn't want them to stand in long queues.

Manager Cherine Govender said that to address the issue, they invited a banking official to their facility so that their residents could open bank accounts.

“We had to get them bank cards because it would be more efficient. Some of them have smart phones and we taught them how to do online banking, but some of the older ones are a bit sceptical about online banking, about two or three, so we take them to an ATM,” she said.

The Saturday Star sent a list of questions to the Department of Social Development (DSD), Sassa and Postbank for comment.

DSD redirected us to SASSA, stating they would be able to assist with the requested information.

At the time of publication, neither Sassa nor Postbank had responded.

Independent Media also called the Postbank information number, which was answered almost immediately, and while the operator was helpful, he was unfamiliar with all areas and had to check from a long list which location was closest to Kempton Park.

The SASSA call centre directed us to the *120* helpline, which is inaccessible without airtime.