SASSA and Postbank: What Happened to the Grant Payment Contract

Updated September 2026. Grants are being paid as normal. This article explains the 2025 warning about SASSA’s payment contract with Postbank, how it was resolved, and what beneficiaries should know now.

The 2025 warning

In July 2025 a Public Protector report, and warnings from opposition MPs, raised concern that the Master Service Agreement between SASSA and Postbank, the bank that distributes grant payments, would expire at the end of September 2025. The report criticised delays in SASSA taking control of grant payments and compliance problems at Postbank. More than two million beneficiaries who were paid through Postbank cards were said to be at risk.

What happened next

• Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe told Parliament that grants would continue to be paid without disruption.
• The South African Reserve Bank briefed Parliament on the arrangements.
• At the start of October 2025, SASSA extended the notice period on the agreement by three months while government considered the way forward.
• Grant payments continued each month, and Postbank carried on replacing SASSA gold cards with Postbank black cards.

Where things stand in 2026

• SASSA published its full 2026/27 payment calendar in March 2026, and grants have been paid on those dates.
• Postbank’s final deadline to swap gold cards for black cards was 31 August 2026. Gold cards are being switched off.
• No announcement has been made that grants will stop or be delayed.

What you can do to protect your grant

1. If you still have a gold card, get a free black card. See is the old SASSA card still valid?.
2. If you prefer, ask for your grant to be paid into a bank account in your own name.
3. Only trust payment news from SASSA, Postbank or government. Posts claiming grants will stop are a common scam.
4. For payment problems call SASSA on 0800 60 10 11 or Postbank on 0800 53 54 55.

Frequently asked questions