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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communication and Digital Technologies, Ms Khusela Sangoni Diko, has welcomed the reassurance from PostBank that all beneficiaries will continue to receive their grants after the deadline to swop yellow South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) cards on 20 March 2025. In addition, PostBank will continue to swop the yellow cards for PostBank black cards until the last person has been assisted.

The portfolio committee received this assurances during a briefing with PostBank, as part of the committee’s oversight visit in Gauteng. Ms Diko further stated her belief that although the PostBank is not at the level it should be, its employees are doing their absolute best, under the circumstances.

While noting that significant challenges still persist, particularly in the Western Cape, and beneficiaries stand in queues for hours on end, staff are inadequately trained and resources are strained, Ms Diko appreciated PostBank’s work during this unprecedented migration process.

The committee noted that the SASSA card swop is a unique and complicated process as no other bank in South Africa has ever had to swop over 2.8 million of bank cards in a space of three months without branch offices and adequately trained staff.

“Although we appreciate the 28% progress in a space of two months, swopping 797 497 cards thus far, we believe that the PostBank can still do more, working together with all outstanding beneficiaries,” said Ms Diko. According to the PostBank, beneficiaries without black PostBank cards after 20 March 2025 will receive their grants at their nearest post offices.

Ms Diko said that the committee will continue to monitor the PostBank closely to interrogate its sustainability strategy, as the project to establish a state bank to serve the unbanked and underbanked in South Africa cannot be left to fail.

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communication and Digital Technologies, Khusela Diko