Rudolf Gaiseb
NamPost states social grant beneficiaries accessed payments outside the approved schedule this January, causing long queues at several post offices.
As a result, this placed pressure on its in-branch services and led to congestion at multiple service points.
“Over 37 000 social grant recipients were paid on day 1 as compared to the expected 28 000,” NamPost spokesperson Joseph Teofelus stated yesterday in a joint statement with Ministry of Finance spokesperson Wilson Shikoto.
Working together with the finance ministry, NamPost will introduce stricter controls on in-branch social cash grant payments.
In-branch payments will be limited strictly to the grant categories scheduled for specific payment days and will come into effect from Thursday, 15 January 2026 (today).
“The measure aims to enforce compliance with the in-branch payment programme, support orderly service delivery, and enable NamPost to manage customer volumes at post offices,” the institutions said in a joint statement.
NamPost will also send additional mobile payment teams to selected larger branches to assist with payouts and ease congestion.
“Branches are being capacitated with additional staff to improve turnaround times and reduce waiting periods,” they added.
The institutions, all beneficiaries and members of the public, are to adhere strictly to the published in-branch payment programme and wait for mobile payment teams at designated pay points.
Travelling long distances to the post office outside scheduled dates contributes to overcrowding and disrupts the efficiency of the payment process.
The remaining in-branch payment programmes for the January 2026 payment cycle are the old age and disability cash grants (12 to 14 January 2026), the Child Cash Grant (15 to 17 January 2026), and the Basic Income Cash Grant (19 to 20 January 2026).
The institutions added that beneficiaries who miss their scheduled payment dates will still be able to collect their grants one week later, between 20 and 25 January 2026.
