The South African government, through Postbank and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), has reassured social grant recipients that they will receive their September 2023 payments in full. This comes after system glitches delayed the disbursement of grants earlier in the month.
During a joint media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele extended their apologies to those affected by the delays. Both ministers, alongside representatives from Postbank and SASSA, addressed the concerns of beneficiaries who struggled to access their funds over the past week.
Minister Gungubele stated that Postbank and SASSA staff are actively working in communities to ensure that the remaining beneficiaries receive their payments. They are also offering support and guidance to those still facing challenges.
System Challenges Cause Payment Delays
The payment delays were triggered by intermittent system issues on 5 and 6 September, affecting the withdrawal of old age and disability grants at ATMs and retailers. Minister Gungubele explained that these issues resulted in “transaction incomplete” errors, which usually go unnoticed due to the banking system’s auto-reversal feature. However, this functionality was disrupted, leading to payment failures for some beneficiaries.
“Unfortunately, this meant that several social grants recipients were unable to access their funds in time,” said Gungubele. “We regret the inconvenience caused, but we want to reassure everyone that the system issues were resolved by the morning of 6 September 2023.”
Payment Restored for Most Beneficiaries
Minister Gungubele confirmed that, by 7 and 8 September, over four million beneficiaries had received their grants through the SASSA Gold Card system, without further complications. While most issues have been resolved, he acknowledged that a small number of recipients are still experiencing delays due to manual processing required to reverse the incomplete transactions.
Initially, around 600,000 beneficiaries were affected by the payment issues. To date, Postbank has completed over 500,000 reversals, restoring access to funds for the majority of those affected.
However, due to the manual nature of the process, it has taken longer than anticipated. Postbank and SASSA are continuing their efforts to ensure all beneficiaries receive their due payments.
Assistance for Affected Beneficiaries
For those who are still experiencing difficulties accessing their grant money, Postbank has urged them to contact the Postbank call centre at 0800 53 54 55 or via email at [email protected] for assistance.
The government remains committed to resolving all remaining issues as quickly as possible, ensuring that no beneficiary is left without their much-needed grant payments.
