Postbank reports that over 280,000 recipients of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) benefits are still using gold cards and must replace them with Postbank black cards by August 31st. The bank cautions that delaying the replacement until the last moment may disrupt benefit payments.
Postbank's Chief Commercial Officer, Thami Sele, stated that more than 1.5 million recipients have already switched to the new black cards, but approximately 250,000–280,000 people still need to make this transition.
Sele emphasized that recipients who continue to use SASSA gold cards to access benefits, including cash withdrawals or purchases, should replace them as soon as possible. He noted that the bank has informed these individuals since the beginning of the year through radio, television, and SMS messages, urging them not to delay the process.
He clarified that this replacement procedure applies exclusively to those using SASSA gold cards. Recipients who already have a Postbank black card do not need to take any further action. Similarly, people receiving benefits directly into accounts at commercial banks such as Capitec, Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank, or FNB do not require card replacement.
According to Sele, the main issue is not a lack of awareness, but rather the tendency of many recipients to postpone the card change because their old cards continue to function. He added that Postbank has sufficient capacity to serve everyone until the deadline but strongly recommends against waiting until the last day.
Sele advised recipients who need to transition to obtain new Postbank black cards before the next benefit payment date to avoid disruptions in receiving funds. SASSA has scheduled social benefit payments for August 2026 as follows: for the elderly on Tuesday, August 4, 2026; for persons with disabilities on Wednesday, August 5, 2026; and for children on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
He also reported that visiting the SASSA office to get new cards is unnecessary, as the process is similar to replacing an expired bank card. Recipients can find the location of the nearest card replacement point by dialing *120*355# from their phone, after which an SMS with a list of nearby locations will be sent to them.
