Big Home Affairs smart ID backlog
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has over 500,000 uncollected smart ID documents sitting in its offices, and one of the primary causes of the backlog is system downtime.
In response to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Thapelo Mogale, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the total backlog stood at 566,429 across its branches, with some individual branches having more than 8,000 uncollected smart ID cards.
However, of the total number of uncollected IDs, 63,452 are deceased cases, leaving a balance of 502,977.
Of these, Gauteng holds the highest portion of uncollected smart IDs at 111,841, with the next highest backlogs being in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape — with 68,337 and 63,500, respectively.
According to Motsoaledi, one of the main reasons applicants failed to collect their smart ID cards was system downtime at DHA offices.
Earlier in October 2023, it was revealed that DHA branches across the country could not operate for a combined 15,289 hours between April and May 2023.
Of this total, 8,672 hours (57%) were lost due to system downtime.
However, system downtime isn’t the only factor preventing South Africans from collecting their smart ID cards.
Motsoaledi highlighted several other reasons why applicants weren’t collecting their smart IDs:
- Those with valid Green ID books weren’t returning to collect the new smart ID cards.
- Financial constraints prevented some from travelling to DHA offices.
- Long queues deter applicants from returning to collect.
- Failure to provide updated contact information.
- Travel distances to DHA offices are too great.
- The applicant may have relocated or died.
The minister said his department had recently modernised its Branch Appointment Booking System and added a “collections” option for customers to schedule an appointment to collect their smart IDs.
“The modernisation system was also enhanced with a new capability for front offices to “redirect” IDs and passports to alternative offices as required by the client,” Motsoaledi added.
“The Department also communicates to the public when various offices will open on Saturdays.”
“Clients are encouraged to take advantage of the extended hours on Saturdays to collect documents they have applied for and not wait for the last minute.”
Aaron Motsoaledi, minister of home affairs
At a local office level, the DHA calls clients to collect their documents, and there are also mobile units taking IDs to rural areas, schools, and high-volume communities for collection.
Motsoaledi said his department had also reactivated its SMS notification system to remind clients if their smart ID remained uncollected.
South African residents who are customers of certain banks don’t have to go to DHA offices to apply for, renew, or collect their smart ID cards.
They can also do so at one of 30 DHA-supported bank branches across the country.
To book an appointment at a bank branch, South Africans can book online through the E-Home Affairs system, which launched in April 2016.
In May 2022, we tested the service and found that while it works, it wasn’t a speedy process.
After submitting a combined application for a new smart ID card and passport renewal on 31 March 2022, the passport was ready for collection within one week.
However, the smart ID card was not ready until 21 April 2022, meaning it took 36 days (26 working days) to arrive from the date of payment.
The application process for passport renewals and smart ID cards is similar, and users can renew a passport, apply for a smart ID card, or both.
The form automatically populates most fields, but applicants must provide their country of citizenship, birth town, residential and postal addresses, and the location at which they want to apply and collect their documents.
There are currently six banks that have opened a handful of their branches for passport renewals and smart ID applications.
The breakdown of branch allocations per bank is as follows:
- Standard Bank — 9
- FNB — 7
- Nedbank — 6
- Absa — 6
- Discovery Bank — 1
- Investec — 1
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