The deadline to switch from the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) gold cards to new Postbank black cards has been extended but not before the process fed thousands of pensioners through a bureaucratic wringer.
Sassa’s gold cards were set to expire at the end of this month, and if beneficiaries did not make the switch to the Postbank black card, they would not be able to receive their grants. On Friday February 14, Sassa said the deadline was extended to Thursday March 20, but pensioners fear that even with the extension it might not be enough time to make the change.
The process has been criticised for having too few service points with pensioners having to travel far – in many cases borrowing money for public transport – to reach one and then being turned away because of system errors or too few staff.
In a joint statement on Friday February 14, Communication and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi and Social Development Minister Nokuzola Tolashe said the extension was in response to the “deep concerns and frustrations of our social grant beneficiaries”.
Beneficiaries unable to do the card switch by deadline would still get paid, but they would have to visit their nearest post office to get their money, they said.
Earlier this month, the Echo reported that gold card holders had to replace their cards by month end to receive their grants (“Sassa gold card holders urged to get new cards by month end,” Echo, February 7), but it was found that there were no outlets in the far south where beneficiaries could do so.
The nearest point of exchange is the Boxer Superstore in Mitchell’s Plain, which is 21km away (“Far South pensioners must go to Mitchell’s Plain for cards,” Echo, February 12).
Social Development MEC Jaco Londt welcomed news of the extension but said his office had been flooded with complaints, and the department had pressed Sassa and Postbank to fix the lack of service points and staffing and other flaws.
“This is still a huge concern, as we cannot leave vulnerable residents living in rural areas behind in this process,” he said.
Bobby Young, 78, of Simon’s Town said he had left home at 8.30am to make his way to the Boxer store in Mitchell’s Plain.
He said he had arrived an hour later to a very “congested shopping centre” with two queues outside of at least 60 people long – one for those under 70 and one for those older than 70 – with no chairs for the elderly.
Inside the store, he said, was another queue of about 50 people.
“It was utter chaos,” he said.
One of the elderly men had been there since 5.15am and was only seen to by Postbank employees at 10am, he said.
He said he had left and still had no idea how to get a Postbank black card.
Pensioner Aleweya Waggie, 72, from Belgravia, still does not have a new card. She spent three days last week between different sites in an effort to get the black card.
“I feel so miserable. I fought for freedom and I paid my taxes. What the government is doing to us is not right. I went to Checkers Hypermarket at N1 City on Tuesday (February 11). The queue was so long. Then on Wednesday, I went to Sassa in Athlone and people were queuing from Hazendal. On Thursday, I went to Shoprite Bellville, only to be turned away for a third time. I am at my wits’ end. I am struggling with my knees and heels and it has gone worse now from standing for so long.“
She doubts the deadline extension will help.
“I have no confidence in this system. The queues are so long, and you don’t even see the queues moving. There are only two officials assisting hundreds of people in the queue. I was so shocked to see all the people. The sad part is that they treat us so badly.”
Fatima David’s, 66, from Grassy Park, finally got her card after visiting different sites.
“I had the most horrific experience trying to change to the black card. I went to Sassa in Wynberg, Boxer in Langa and Boxer in Mitchell’s Plain, only to be told there are no more cards after standing in extremely long queues since 6am. I finally got my black card in Westridge.“
Abdurahman Sabodien, 75, from Belgravia, was among hundreds queueing outside Sassa last week. He said when political parties wanted votes, they were “quick to fetch you”, but not this time.
“My wife and I were in Cape Town… She is wheelchair-bound. They didn’t help us, saying they can only process 100 people a day. The government is not making this easy on us. People must spend money to get to the sites, only to be turned away. This is chaos, and it’s heartbreaking. I worked as a bricklayer for many years. I helped to build this city. I don’t even have the words for this.“
Lentegeur pensioner Nazeema Abrahams, 67, and her 70-year-old husband were among hundreds of social grant beneficiaries who stood in long queues outside the Boxer store in the Town Centre last week to swop their old cards
“There were hundreds of people already in the queue with only two people to assist the people, including the elderly that got to the Town Centre, which is a very scary place for a woman at 4am.
“When we got to Boxer, at 8am, the queue was already behind the bus terminus. We decided to go open a banking account and then submit it to Sassa, where there will also be a queue.”
Several grant recipients outside the Boxer store complained about the long waiting time in the sun and wind without any seats.
Many said they were returning to the store because they had not been helped previously.
Elizabeth Philander, of Tafelsig, said, on Wednesday February 12, that she and a friend had been trying to update their banking details to receive child support grants for a few months.
Ms Philander said she had been in the queue since 5am and that she had been told that only 150 people would be seen per day. She was number 110 in line.
“This is my fourth or fifth time coming for a new card. We were at Sassa offices last week and were told to come to Boxer for a new Postbank card. A few months ago, we opened a Standard Bank account and submitted our documents but never received any payments in our new accounts.
“Previous years, our children received free textbooks, but their schools do not issue free books anymore, so we need this money to cover these expenses.”
The following day, Thursday February 13, Ms Philander said she had once again gone home at end of the previous day without being helped.
