Pretoria - The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has reacted swiftly to assure its beneficiaries that the gold payment card is still valid, to avoid panic after fake news circulated about them.
The agency provides financial support to millions of South Africans who need the money to survive and pay for critical needs like medication, food and child expenses.
It plays a crucial role in the social support and development of the country, making fake news about its operations and dealings serious and potentially damaging.
It plays an important role in the lives of orphans, underprivileged children, pensioners and persons living with disability, and as such, having people use its name to mislead and misinform people about its services cannot be ignored.
Subsequently, Sasaa informed the country the gold card remains active, even though there is an expiring date. It called for beneficiaries not to panic or succumb to the hijacking by scammers circulating fake news, that the card will expire in April 2023.
“The gold card is still authentic and can be used either in Postbank, ATMs, and other merchants. Beneficiaries are encouraged to provide their private bank accounts to the Sassa as another option of safe and easy payment.”
Spokesperson Paseka Lestsasi said: "Sassa will in due course communicate changes if there are any. Fraudsters who pretend to be Sassa officials and target old age people and people living with disability in their residency must be immediately reported to the local police."
Sassa was also responsible for the payment of social relief grants implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic like the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme and the R350 Social Relief Distress Grand that was meant for South Africans who were or become economically inactive in the pandemic.
It was only until last October that Minister for Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu announced that the number of people who were still receiving the R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant on a monthly basis had dropped from 10.5 million people to nearly 7.5 million.
Pretoria News