DocumentOngoingNews

Smooth Payment Social Grants

GCIS / SAnewsRef: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/smooth-payment-social-grants

Official source

Source domain: sanews.gov.za

Collected on 28 July 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

What this means

This is a SAnews news article dated 3 August 2018 reporting on the early-month payment of South African social grants. Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele says the South African Post Office (SAPO) assisted 1.6 million beneficiaries and processed about three million grant payments with minimal glitches, and that SAPO is expected to pay about 2.5 million beneficiaries in August. The article also describes Ministerial monitoring visits in several locations, notes payment delays in some areas due to criminal incidents, and states the government is migrating grant payments to a hybrid model including SAPO and other financial institutions, encouraging beneficiaries to swap old cards for new ones (gold cards) via SASSA offices or listed pay-points/Post Offices.

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card upgrade opportunityOngoing

Migration to new gold card for social grant recipients

Beneficiaries who have not yet upgraded from their old card to the new gold card can do so at SASSA offices, listed pay-points, or Post Offices. This transition is part of a government initiative to move toward a hybrid payment system involving SAPO and other financial institutions.

Who it is for: social grant beneficiaries who have not yet migrated to the new gold card
How to act on it: Visit a SASSA office, pay-point, or listed Post Office to swap old card for new gold card

Show the line this came from

Beneficiaries who have not yet switched to the new gold card must go to a SASSA office, pay-points or Post Offices listed as card swap outlets to migrate.

Facts

Places

City of Tshwane, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng

Reference

https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/smooth-payment-social-grants

Key Takeaways

Date of article: Friday, 3 August 2018
Minister: Dr Siyabonga Cwele (Telecommunications and Postal Services)
SAPO assisted 1.6 million beneficiaries and processed about three million social grant payments with minimal glitches (early August)
SAPO expected to pay about 2.5 million beneficiaries in August
Comparison: almost double the number of beneficiaries paid through SAPO for the entire month of July
Monitoring locations: Shoshanguve (Tshwane), Sebokeng (Sedibeng), Johannesburg; pay point stations in Tembisa; Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu in Sebokeng and Evaton
Inter-Ministerial Committee on Comprehensive Social Security commitment to monitor payments in selected areas
Payments disrupted/delayed in some areas due to criminal incidents; beneficiaries paid late or transported to nearest service point
Government working with police to investigate incidents
Card swap/new gold card migration to a hybrid payment model including SAPO and other financial services institutions
Beneficiaries not yet switched must go to SASSA offices or listed card swap outlets (pay-points/Post Offices)
Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele
Social Development Minister Susan Shabangu
South African Post Office (SAPO)
South Africa Social Security Agency (SASSA)
Inter-Ministerial Committee on Comprehensive Social Security
Police
SAnews
SAnews.gov.za
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)