Social Development minister declares crisis over Sassa card replacement chaos

Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has raised alarm over the social grant card replacement, saying the Postbank has no plan in place to deal with the challenges being experienced.

On Tuesday, Tolashe informed parliamentarians about Postbank's intention to switch the gold cards issued by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to the bank's new black cards for grant beneficiaries.

“Indeed, there is a crisis. It is a crisis because we identified that there seems to be no plan. If there is a plan, I have yet to see it,” she said.

Tolashe made the statement when she appeared before the social development portfolio committee, along with a delegation of the department and Sassa to report on the investigation into weaknesses in the social relief of distress grant application.

The minister has been conducting oversight visits at retail stores used as Postbank sites in Cape Town since the start of this week.

“Myself and the team can say without fear or contradiction that there is no plan,” Tolashe told the MPs.

Earlier, committee chairperson Bridget Masango had raised concerns after Postbank did not furnish the committee with the information requested at a meeting with the Department of Social Development and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.

Masango said the requested information was to be used by the MPs when they conduct oversight visits to monitor the situation that was concerning on the ground.

“It is a concerning situation that you feel almost you are being undermined by the entity of a department of government,” she added.

ANC MP Tshilidzi Bethuel Munyai said Postbank should be called to respond.

“It would be appropriate that Postbank is invited to account for their business,” Munyai said.

MK Party’s Nhlanhla Gcwabaza said there were serious problems with the replacement of the Sassa cards and it could not be business as usual.

“I support that Postbank must come here and answer really what is happening,” Gcwabaza said.

Similar concerns were raised by EFF MP Paulnita Marais and DA MP Alexandra Abrahams.

“I want to agree Postbank does not have a clue what is happening on the ground,” Marais said.

The committee heard from parliamentarians that about 13 cards were processed over four hours at retail shops.

Tolashe said the committee's request to call Postbank to come present was not negotiable.

“It is your constitutional right and responsibility to call anyone to come and present before you anything that talks to taxpayers’ money and the relationship that they might have with government.

“I would really appreciate that kind of instruction for Postbank to come and explain themselves to what is happening,” she said.

Tolashe told the parliamentarians of the frustrations of social grant beneficiaries who feared they would not receive their money if their cards were not replaced by the March 20 deadline.

She confirmed the challenges beneficiaries experienced while waiting in the long queues.

“They get there at 1am. They have to pay exorbitant transport money for themselves to be there. They are exposed literally to everything, especially women. They are exposed to extortionists,” she said, adding that beneficiaries were also being robbed.

Tolashe said the sooner Postbank appeared before the committee, the better.

“They must tell you exactly what their plan is and that plan must be a working plan, not a plan put on a white paper. At the moment, it is put on white paper and has got nothing to do with what is going on.”

She lamented that 11 000 beneficiaries in Grabouw have no Postbank site and recipients have to travel to other towns.

Tolashe apologised to the social grant beneficiaries and their families.

“We really apologise profusely, hence we appeal to Postbank to resolve the matter.”

She said Sassa was looking at all avenues to the challenge as she doubted the March 20 deadline would be met.

“There is just no way. When you look at the phenomenon on the ground, that deadline was not informed by the fact. It was a deadline for the sake of having it,” Tolashe said.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za