6 March 2025
A Postbank representative (wearing black pants and a white top) talking to beneficiaries outside Shoprite in Verulam, Durban who were there to switch to the new black cards. Photo: Joseph Bracken
As the deadline looms for the switch from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Gold Card, many are still struggling to get their new Postbank Black cards.
On Tuesday Postbank acknowledged that completing the transition from the Gold Card to the Black Card before the 20 March deadline is unlikely. At the end of February, 1.9-million beneficiaries still needed to switch.
On Wednesday GroundUp visited some of the card collection points in Durban and Cape Town.
Grant recipients waited in long lines for hours where they encountered system failures. Many left empty-handed despite repeated attempts to get their new cards.
On Wednesday at 1:30pm about 40 people were still waiting in line at the Shoprite in Verulam. According to those in line, less than 45 people had been issued cards that day.
Zama Mkhize said that she had already visited the site last week and was promised that she would be assisted first when she returned. But this did not happen.
Like many others, Mkhize arrived at 6am. She was number 18 in line. The first Postbank representative only arrived at 8am and the second one arrived at 10:30am.
Another beneficiary Arthi Surjoo criticised Postbank staff for not adequately telling them whether or not they’ll get their cards.
People shared their frustrations with GroundUp when we arrived. There were only seven chairs. Everyone else, including elderly people, had to stand. The line moved at a snail’s pace because there was just one person assisting beneficiaries.
We asked the Postbank staffer about the process, but she refused to answer any questions. Shortly after this interaction she got up and announced that she was leaving because a GroundUp reporter was taking pictures of the line and had not asked her for permission. Despite our reporter agreeing to leave, the Postbank teller packed away her belongings and went to the back.
At the Boxer store in Phoenix, there were only 20 people in line after 2pm but people said they had been waiting hours.
Bonisiwe Mbelu, who was in the middle of the line, told GroundUp she had been waiting since 11am and that the line hadn’t moved much. There were three Postbank staffers at the store, but the system used for the card swap was very slow, according to a staff member who asked not to be named. The Phoenix store had no chairs for people waiting in line. Beneficiaries complained about having to stand for long hours without any food or water.
Sandy Singh, who uses a walking stick, said that she had been standing for about three hours. Singh was eventually pulled to the front of the line and was able to get her card.
A 77-year-old man who asked to remain anonymous, said that his legs had begun to swell while waiting. He said he had repeatedly told this to the staff but to no avail.
Beneficiaries in Strand, Cape Town sat on the ground while others stood against the wall on the pavement outside the store while waiting to get the new Postbank Black Card. Photo: Marecia Damons
At Shoprite in Strand people sat on the ground while others stood against the wall on the pavement outside the store. Some had arrived at 7am, but were still waiting by noon.
Four tellers were assisting beneficiaries. Two handled the Black Card swaps, while the other two addressed card-related enquiries. Shortly after 11am, the tellers announced that the system was slow and asked people to be patient.
Thabisa Peter from Nomzamo said she has been struggling for over a month to get her Black Card. She is stuck in bureaucratic loop.
“I first came here on 22 January. [The teller] put the Black Card in the machine [to activate it] and told me to enter a PIN. I did but it didn’t work, twice. The teller said she didn’t know what was wrong and then said the system was offline,” Peter said.
When she attempted to withdraw Child Support Grants for her four children in February and March, the system showed there was no money on her Gold Card. “The other day, I came back to Shoprite at 3am, but the queue was too long. The next time I returned, I still wasn’t helped,” Peter said.
She was then sent to the Post Office and then to SASSA to collect proof that the grants had been paid. Last week she returned to Shoprite in Strand with the documents to get the Black Card, but had no success. On Wednesday, she attempted to get the card again but was told that because a Black Card was registered under her name on 22 January, it first needed to be blocked before she could be issued a new one.
Postbank previously said it is aware of the issues plaguing the card transition. To accelerate the process, Postbank announced that it is partnering with the Spar Group, which will provide 200 stores as service sites nationally. Postbank is also increasing the number of tellers available at each collection site. To handle high call volumes, Postbank said it doubled its contact centre staff and is recruiting more people.
Beneficiaries can also use Postbank’s new USSD code *120*355# to find their nearest collection site. (The previous USSD code did not work consistently.)
Postbank has ruled out an extension, stating that all Gold Cards must be out of circulation by 31 March. Beneficiaries will still, however, be able to access their grants via Post Offices and cardless cash withdrawals after the deadline.