Thales Group now supplies South Africa's smart ID cards

[Daniel Puchert]

The company behind smart ID cards in South Africa

When the Department of Home Affairs decided to replace South Africa's aging identity book with a smart ID twelve years ago, it selected Dutch security company Gemalto to supply the card.

Gemalto was a well-regarded firm that supplied SIM cards to mobile network operators, and EMV (chip and PIN) payment cards to banks and other issuers worldwide.

 

[Corelli]

Thing is people want everything for free including this. I would simply allow PR holders to apply for the card, give them a year and then announce a final closing period for the Green ID books and let the people apply. Some do and never bother to collect it.

 

[chrisc]

As a PR. I will willingly pay for a Smart ID card
Up to R350 sounds reasonable
Then it must be couriered to my door

 

[epah]

As a PR. I will willingly pay for a Smart ID card
Up to R350 sounds reasonable
Then it must be couriered to my door

No, you must collect it from the post office.

 

[bixt]

Same Thales as in Shabir Shaik / Zuma Thales?

 

[G.A.S]

No, you must collect it from the post office.

First, you just have to figure out which post office they decided to send it to.

 

[nicroets]

As a PR. I will willingly pay for a Smart ID card
Up to R350 sounds reasonable
Then it must be couriered to my door

Home Affairs rules require that you come in to collect for a good reason: There are syndicates who use uneducated people to apply for ID cards. They have an inside connection who swaps the picture for an illegal alien before the card is made.

When the applicant returns to collect the card, they have another opportunity to detect the fraud.

 

[HAL 9000]

Same Thales as in Shabir Shaik / Zuma Thales?

Yup - that's the one..... much like the Mac Maharaj / Shabir Shaik tie-in with the driver's licence cards - 'It's Our Turn To Eat!'

From a 3 September 2018 article in the Sowetan Live...

Mac Maharaj in graft probe - Sowetan Live​

The Hawks have officially launched a criminal investigation into a dodgy R650m driver’s licence contract that dates back 20 years‚ and which involves allegations that Jacob Zuma’s former spokesman‚ Mac Maharaj‚ took a 1.2 million French francs (R2.3m) bribe.

Maharaj was transport minister when the tender was awarded to Prodiba‚ in which Zuma’s then financial adviser‚ Schabir Shaik‚ had a 33% stake through his Nkobi Group. French arms company Thales also had a 33% share in Prodiba.

Prodiba received R40 each time a licence card was made for the first time or renewed. The contract was cancelled in 2013.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed they were investigating a case of corruption‚ but could not divulge the names of suspects in the probe.

However‚ Times Select has learnt that Shaik‚ Maharaj and his wife Zarina are among those being investigated. Shaik did not respond to requests for comment‚ while the lawyer for the latter said they were unaware of a criminal matter.

Mac Maharaj in graft probe

The contract was cancelled in 2013.

www.sowetanlive.co.za

 

[Dolby]

In 12 years I haven’t even applied for the first smart ID

 

[Lycanthrope]

I'd apply. But I'm not travelling back to South Africa for the privilege.

Surprised that, to this day, you can't apply from a consulate or an embassy.

Daft.

 

[Bad Ballie]

We of course know Thales already, especially for the corrupt arms deal and the payment of bribes to Many of the South African delegates at the time, ergo the banning of the French cases finding from the South African cover up hearings.

 

[mycaptainmorgan]

Everyday, multiple articles about green/smart ID. Is this truly the biggest technological thing happening? Is mybroadband bought? How much money from foreign companies or governments or national government spend to shape our thinking to accept the inevitable?

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Everyday, multiple articles about green/smart ID. Is this truly the biggest technological thing happening? Is mybroadband bought? How much money from foreign companies or governments or national government spend to shape our thinking to accept the inevitable?

don't forget DSTV, at this point the journalists at broad-media must be Ai