Post Office attempts to cut queues for R350 grant recipients: Here’s how

The South African Post Office (SAPO) is trying out a new system in an effort to reduce long queues and waiting time for beneficiaries of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. 

The system has been introduced in the Free State, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces and has already proven to be successful in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.

R350 GRANT: POST OFFICE INTRODUCES NEW SYSTEM BY USING THE LAST THREE DIGITS OF ID NUMBERS 

The Post Office said each day of the week is reserved for different beneficiaries, depending on the last three digits of their ID numbers. 

Monday is reserved for 083 and 088, Tuesday 084 and 089, Wednesday 080 and 089, Thursday 081 and 086, and Friday is reserved for beneficiaries with the ID numbers ending in 082 and 087.

“The first week of the month is reserved for paying grants to the elderly, disability and child grants. The Post Office has introduced separate queues at its branches to reduce waiting time and to ensure social distancing,” it said. 

“One queue is reserved for beneficiaries of the R350 grant, while the other queue is for all other transactions. There will be queue walkers, who will check ID numbers to ensure that the system is implemented,” it added. 

Johan Kruger, a spokesperson for the Post Office, said there will always be queues for the R350 grant because the beneficiaries prefer to be at the Post Office before opening time. 

“That means they open with a queue but the benefit of the system is that it reduces the [number] of people who visit their Post Office each day and they can maintain social distance and everybody can be served on a given day,” said Kruger. 

For more information, clients are encouraged to call SASSA on 0800-60-10-11 from 8:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. Alternatively, they can visit the SASSA website on www.sassa.gov.za.

HOW TO GET YOUR SASSA CARD’S BALANCE 

The SA Post Office, according to its website, has also given SASSA beneficiaries a new way to check the balance on their cards using a cellphone. One can dial 120*3210#, press send, enter your ID number and your balance should appear. The cost, however, is 60 cents. 

In other news, SASSA has also released its payment dates for the remainder of the year.

READ: Social grants calendar: Here’s *every* SASSA payment date for 2021