Benjamin Skele never has to chase his SASSA payment. The Free State pensioner receives his Older Person’s Grant directly into his TymeBank account every month, and he rates SASSA’s communication with recipients highly. Yet a smooth payment system has not solved his biggest problem. Skele, who is in his early sixties, has collected the Older […] More

South Africa’s current September-October school holidays run for 12 days. Parents, if you try to fill every single day with activities, your budget won’t survive! Term 3 ended on Wednesday, 23 September, with the school break beginning with Heritage Day.  Term 4 starts on Tuesday, 6 October. This means families face nearly two weeks of entertaining kids, with […] More

Policing of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) means test is coming under renewed scrutiny. This is after former Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie alleged that beneficiaries are earning five-times more than their grant amounts. Speaking in the media last week, Fourie was using Capitec’s own banking data as a reference point. And Stats SA’s […] More

Paying money into the wrong account number is one of the most stressful things one can experience. Unfortunately, getting the money back isn’t always guaranteed. Here’s all you need to know if this happens. CAN YOU AUTOMATICALLY REVERSE A PAYMENT? Most electronic transfers use the account number as identification and not necessarily the account holder’s […] More

For older South Africans still carrying the green barcoded ID book, switching to a Smart ID card doesn’t necessarily mean another expense. Home Affairs’ fee structure provides an exemption for pensioners aged 60 and older applying for their first Smart ID card. But there is an important distinction for pensioners considering using a bank branch: […] More