Post Office unveils cashless ATMs to pay SASSA social grants

The launch marks the start of SAPO’s roll-out of more than 10 000 of these cashless ATM devises within spaza shops, township and rural areas’ merchants to avail financial services close to where people live.

The South African Post Office (SAPO) has commenced with the process of rolling out cashless ATMs that will serve as additional payment points for the payment of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) grants.

On Monday, the Post Office unveiled the first cashless ATM to pay SASSA social grants within the premises of Kagiso Trading, GG Location, in Rustenburg.

The launch marks the start of SAPO’s roll-out of more than 10 000 of these cashless ATM devises within spaza shops, township and rural areas’ merchants to avail financial services close to where people live.

In addition to accessing social grants, customers will be able to use the cashless ATMs to purchase pre-paid electricity and pre-paid airtime, pay municipality bills as well as other bills.

Other transactions that can be performed on the ATMs include insurance activations and payments, money transfer, ticketing, transport solutions and balance inquiries.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Thembi Siweya said this solution will make a contribution in curbing the spread of Coronavirus by decongesting the current pay points.

“We support innovative initiatives in society, especially those that will improve service delivery in government. This solution promises to deliver multiple benefits to our society. Among others, it will promote the local economy and empower informal traders, reduce the travelling cost for beneficiaries and decongest the current pay points,” Siweya said.

Deputy Minister of Postal and Digital Communications Technologies, Pinky Kekana, said the cashless ATM solution aligns with the department’s mandate to foster economic inclusion through technology innovations.  

“The cashless ATM solution has multiple benefits for society and will contribute to decongesting the current SASSA grants payment points,” Kekana said.

Upon reaching any spaza shop, township and rural areas’ merchant, where a cashless ATM is installed, a SASSA social grant beneficiary will:

Insert their SASSA card inside the ATM card slot and use their SASSA card PIN to initiate a transaction (in the same manner as they initiate a transaction from any other bank ATM).

Select an amount they request to be debited on their SASSA card.

If the debit is successful, the cashless ATM will print out two slips (A merchant and customer) confirming the debit.

The customer will hand over the merchant slip to the spaza shop, and in exchange, the merchant will give the customer cash or goods to the value of the withdrawal.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)