NATIONAL NEWS -As millions of pensioners will line up to collect their Sassa grant on Tuesday, Post Bank has urged SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) social grants beneficiaries in the KwaZulu-Natal province to collect their money at ATM’s and retailers, as post office branches may not have sufficient cash on hand.
Post Bank said recipients can also collect their grants from Boxer, Pick n Pay, Spar, Shoprite and Usave instead of South African Post Office branches.
Post bank branches
“This is due to many Post Office branches in KwaZulu-Natal anticipating insufficient cash in store as a result of cash delivery delays.
“The Sassa gold cards operate like any other bank card and can be used to make cash withdrawals from any bank ATM. The cards can also be used to make withdrawals over the till inside retail stores as well as make in-store purchases,” it said.
The Post Office said its branches in KwaZulu-Natal will be open and operational to assist social grants beneficiaries with Sassa non-cash services including PIN resets.
Postbank assured Sassa grant recipients that upcoming payments will go ahead without a glitch, saying it has taken significant precautionary measures to avoid delays and errors.
Glitches
Earlier this month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called on Sassa to consider using other banks to pay grants after more than 600,000 beneficiaries were left hanging
This after a technical glitch in Postbank’s social grant payment system left elderly beneficiaries without money
DA MP Alexandra Abrahams said Postbank’s failure to address the various payments was the latest in a long line of “technical glitches” or “hacking attempts” that affect vulnerable grant beneficiaries on an almost monthly basis.
Of the 21 banks used for the payment of social grants, only one bank, a bankrupt State-owned Postbank, failed to pay grants. It services about 10% of the 5.3 million beneficiaries that are paid their social grants via Postbank’s Sassa gold cards monthly.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
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