Postbank completes payment to all SASSA beneficiaries, following system glitch
Following two weeks of disruption that left thousands of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) beneficiaries without their monthly grants, Postbank announced on Tuesday that all outstanding payments have been made. The bank experienced a system glitch on September 5 and 6, affecting pensioners and other social grant recipients.
In a statement, Postbank spokesperson Dr. Bongani Diako confirmed that the process of reversing funds into all affected beneficiaries’ accounts was completed. He assured that recipients impacted by the payments issue can now access their funds through various channels including ATMs and retailers.
However, human rights organization Black Sash has disputed Postbank’s claims. Evashnee Naidu, Black Sash regional manager in KwaZulu-Natal, stated that despite Postbank’s announcement, they are still assisting beneficiaries who have not been able to access their September grant payment even after 14 days.
Postbank has provided customer service channels for those social grant beneficiaries who need to make inquiries relating to their social grant payments.
Dr. Diako also addressed attempts by some individuals to exploit the system glitch for fraudulent activities. He stated that these attempts were unsuccessful due to the thoroughness of their systems and would be reported to law enforcement agencies. However, he expressed concern that such incidents perpetuated the incorrect notion that large numbers of SASSA beneficiaries have not been paid.
