Mitchell’s Plain pensioners left various pay points disappointed after they were misinformed about having their SA Social Security Agency (SASSA)/Postbank gold cards renewed.
Chris Job, 77, from Strandfontein, said he and a few others stood for hours at Westridge civic centre only to walk away not being helped on Wednesday March 22.
“It is not fair on us old people. Many stood in a queue outside the hall,” he said.
Mr Job also raised alarm that there were no post offices in Mitchell’s Plain to have their cards renewed (“‘Plain Post Office closed”, Plainsman, February 23).
SA Post Office (SAPO) spokesman, Johan Kruger, said there were no post office services in Mitchell’s Plain.
He said the nearest post offices to Mitchell’s Plain would be in Grassy Park, Gatesville and Lansdowne.
Sassa marketing and communications director, Shivani Wahab, replied to a Plainsman enquiry with an information sheet titled “SASSA/Postbank card expiring on March 2023 – and what to do”.
It states that pensioner and disability related grant recipients should visit their nearest post office on Mondays and Tuesdays from March 13 to exchange the card.
Child support grants and all other grant recipients should visit their nearest post office from every Wednesday to Saturday, starting from Wednesday March 15 to collect their new Sassa/Postbank gold card.
“Grant recipients who have lost or misplaced their Sassa/Postbank Gold Cards expiring in March 2023 (03/2023), must also go to a nearby SAPO branch to collect their new Sassa/Postbank Gold cards,” read the sheet.
New Sassa/Postbank gold cards will only be issued at SAPO branches to the person in whose name the expiring card has been issued or only to those who have been registered at Sassa as procurators. Recipients should take their identity document and expiring Sassa/Postbank gold cards with.
“Social grant recipients are reminded that only people who have Sassa/Postbank gold cards expiring this month go to their nearest post office,” read the sheet.
The dates and processes for cards expiring in the coming months would be announced soon.
For more information, log on to https://www.sassa.gov.za or call the Sassa toll-free line on 080 060 1011.
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