The new South African South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) gold card does not allow for illegal deductions and fraudulent transactions to take place.
The Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Comprehensive Social Security said on Thursday.
“The card is designed to protect social grant beneficiaries from illegal deductions for things such as electricity, airtime and loans. The only deductions permitted on the new gold SASSA card will be for funeral policies on non-child grants, which should also not be more than ten percent of the total grant,” said the IMC in a statement read by Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane.
With this card beneficiaries can make three free cash withdrawals from any participating merchant such as Shoprite and Boxer one free over the counter cash at the Post Office, free swipes purchase payments at all merchants and one free ATM balance enquiry per month to mention a few.
“The new SASSA gold card is easily identifiable. It is gold in colour and has the country’s coat of arms on the right hand side as well as the letters ‘SASSA’ inscribed on the left. The new SASSA gold card offers social grants beneficiaries’ real benefits which beneficiaries that have migrated to it are already enjoying.”
Government urges all social grants beneficiaries to exercise their choice of a grant payment method carefully and elect to receive their grants through a method that will not result in their own exploitation.
“We wish to reiterate as well that the old white SASSA/CPS card will be completely phased out by the end of September 2018. It will no longer be in use hence we call on people who still have the old card to migrate to the new gold card issued by the Post Office.”
Implementing the court instruction
SASSA and SAPO signed a legal agreement on the 19th June which provides a legal framework on how they will work together during the transitional period.
“Key to this agreement is to ensure a smooth transition that will not disadvantage the beneficiaries in any way,” said the statement.
Minister Mokonyane said the partnership between SASSA and SAPO was bearing fruit despite minor disruptions.
“As a result of this cooperation between SASSA and SAPO we are happy to announce that in June we have reached a milestone of more than a million people who have been successfully migrated from the old CPS card to the new SAPO card issued by the Post Office as a preferred payment channel of all social grants.”
SASSA and SAPO plan to migrate all social grants beneficiaries receiving their grants in cash at the CPS pay-points by end of August 2018.
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