Durban - Since receiving queries about the differences between the new South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) Card, the old Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) card and the EasyPay Everywhere (Green card), Sassa has issued an explanation:
CPS card (old card): Sassa initially entered into a payment contract with CPS from 2012 until March 31, 2017. The Constitutional Court declared the contract invalid, but suspended the invalidity declaration for one year, until March 31, 2018, with the same terms and conditions.
The court also suspended the invalidity declaration of the current contract by another six months, starting from April 1, 2018, terminating on September 31, 2018.
The old Sassa card is part of the CPS contract and is being phased out. Its disadvantages are:
* It allows unauthorised deductions; and
* It will no longer work after September 31, 2018.
The new Sassa card: Sassa has entered into a five-year Service Level Agreement with the South African Post Office (Sapo), in accordance with section 35 of the Inter-governmental Relations Framework Act, 2005, on December 8, 2017, to provide the following services from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2023. As a result, the new card has been introduced. It is yellow, has the Sassa logo and the South African coat of arms on the right corner. Beneficiaries are encouraged to get it, as it offers the following benefits:
* No minimum account opening deposit and no minimum account balance;
* No monthly service fee;
* Free first payment card replacement;
* Free mini-statement or balance enquiry;
* Unlimited free point-of-sale purchases;
* One free withdrawal on Sapo infrastructure;
* Three free cash-back transactions at retailers;
* Free PIN resets;
* Free balance enquiry;
* Free SMS and/or email notifications;
* No EFT debits or stop orders; and
* The maximum cost for this bank account, subsidised by Sassa, is R6.71 per month.
The card can be used at ATMs and tills at Shoprite, Boxer, Checkers and Pick * Pay. Banks will charge for using ATMs.
The EasyPay Everywhere (green) Card: The The EPE card represents a bank account that the client holds at Grindrod Bank. EPE has a national branch infrastructure where clients can open this bank account. EPE provides a mobile card issuing infrastructure at pay points and areas where communities request for assistance with opening bank accounts and card issuing.
The service is provided on a national basis. Clients in rural areas are serviced through a mobile banking platform. The card is fully inter-operable within the National Payment System in South Africa and can be used at all ATMs, including those of other banks, or at point of sale devices of all retailers as well as at the pay point infrastructure, utilising fingerprint biometric for verification purposes.
If a beneficiary wishes to purchase at a point of sale device there is no limit on the number of transactions that can be performed. If a client utilises the ATM infrastructure - other bank ATMs or Grindrod Bank (Easypay Everywhere) ATMs or ATMs at the pay points - there is no limitation on the number of transactions that a client can perform.
The card has a set daily limit of R5 000 for the clients’ protection. Should the client wish to increase this limit, they can call the EasyPay Everywhere call centre to increase or decrease the daily transaction limit.
Will the card be discontinued?
In terms of the Social Assistance Act, beneficiaries wishing to maintain their accounts are entitled to do so and will continue to be paid as they have been in the past.