Pensioners and other social grant beneficiaries who are unable to switch to the new Postbank black cards by the Thursday March 20 deadline will still be able to access their grants through a cardless withdrawal system, according to the Western Cape Department of Social Development.

Social Development MEC Jaco Londt met with representatives from Postbank earlier this week to discuss the lack of Postbank service points in the Western Cape, among other issues.

Mr Londt said Postbank has confirmed that beneficiaries who miss the deadline can collect their payments using their IDs and cellphone numbers at Post Office branches and selected retailers. To use this service, beneficiaries must first register their cellphone number at Postbank service points.

Sassa's gold cards were set to expire at the end of February, and if beneficiaries did not make the switch to the Postbank black card, they would not be able to receive their grants.

On Friday February 14, Sassa said the deadline was extended to Thursday March 20, but due to a lack of service points, thousands of pensioners have yet to make the switch (“Pensioners caught in ‘utter chaos’ card-switch wringer,” Echo February 19).

Mr Londt said Postbank admitted that it became aware of this issue through persistent news reports. The bank also noted that retaining staff at service points has been difficult.

While Postbank cannot extend the March 20 deadline, it has indicated that the cardless withdrawal option will ensure beneficiaries can still access their grants.

Mr Londt also encouraged beneficiaries to explore alternative payment options, such as having their grants paid directly into their bank accounts.

"If this option is more feasible, I will advise them to go to their nearest SASSA office to make this change," he said.