South Africa is going digital, baby. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has heard the pleas of Stuff’s own Toby Shapshak and officially announced its plans to make digital IDs and passports a reality in South Africa.
The system is… online?
The plan was detailed in the DHA’s Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2030, where the department mentions its ‘digital identity initiative’ that will supposedly streamline immigration processes and “ensure that services are more efficient and secure.” And, as Shapshak says, enable Saffas to leave the home walletless.
“It’s not just that I want a minimalistic approach to what I have to carry in my pockets, but that it enables a whole new world for us,” Shapshak said about Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s announced plans, ahead of the DHA’s official plans being made public.
The DHA said that it was working closely with the South African Reserve Bank to deliver the rejuvenated identification system. This new system would allow residents to store their digital ID and passports in a digital wallet on their smartphones, and, with time, other such ‘vital’ documents will be made available there.
Read More: You could soon vote with a digital pen
“This system will use facial recognition as the primary biometric modality and fingerprints as the secondary, significantly enhancing national security and reducing the risk of fraud,” the DHA said.
The Strategic Plan documents the DHA’s plans for the next five years and, as such, expects to have the system fully functional by the 2028/2029 financial year, though specifics are still vague. The DHA lists the creation of the digital ID and digital wallet app as a ‘mid-term target’ while the issuing of e-passports is pencilled in as an ‘end of term target’ in 2029. It also expects the system to allow for 15 digital documents on the wallet app by then.
First, however, the DHA wants to put an end to the green ID books and “ensure access to smart ID cards… to all South Africans.” It will do so by extending its partnerships with several bank branches around the country, of which it currently provides services at “about” three dozen locations. Over the next five years, the DHA aims to bring this number up to 1,000 locations all around the country.
