The Ministry of Finance has started the process of phasing out social grant cash payments. 

The Deputy Director of Social Assistance, Albert Biwa, made the announcement at the consultative meeting with social grant recipients at Keetmanshoop. 

The consultative meeting was aimed at informing, educating and deliberating with various community members on the shift from social grant cash payments to instant payment solutions. 

"We are advocating for the upcoming digitalisation of payments that would be under the Instant Payment Solution programme run by the Bank of Namibia. And we aim to eventually get all the pensioners on that system."

Biwa said that, as part of its efforts to phase out social grant cash payments, the ministry reached an agreement with NamPost to facilitate the payment distribution process at its branches starting in November of this year.

The parastatal, he added, will also facilitate cash payments in rural areas where it does not have branches.

"Those who have smart cards and have their accounts at the commercial banks, they are okay; they don't need to worry about the changes that we are advocating. The changes that we are advocating now are mostly affecting those receiving their payments through the cash payment method administered by Epupa so that they can register." 

Biwa urged beneficiaries to ensure that they visit the pay points next month to collect their social grant payments for the coming months of September and October.

Epupa will no longer be handling social grants on behalf of the government starting in November of this year. 

Registrations of cash payment beneficiaries to receive their social grants through NamPost will commence in October this year.