Saying goodbye to the green ID book
There have been several key smart ID card issuing developments in the past few weeks that suggest the government’s push to phase out green ID books is accelerating.
The green ID book has been used as the official proof of identity in South Africa since the 1960s.
The document has barely changed, aside from the change in the South African emblem on its cover after the first fully democratic elections in 1994.
Smile ID’s Digital Identity Fraud 2024 report found that the ID book was the most targeted identity document for fraudsters in Africa.
In 34% of the cases where its know-your-customer detection flagged fraudulent attempts to access services, a green ID book was used.
To address its susceptibility to forgery and fraud, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) introduced the new smart ID card as a replacement in 2013.
The smart ID features several security enhancements, including the ability to store a cardholder’s information, which can be read without connecting to a central database.
Under then-minister Naledi Pandor, the DHA initially planned to start phasing out ID books “within three years,” with all South Africans having smart ID cards six to eight years after 2013.
If the government’s original plan were successful, the green ID book would have ceased to serve as an official form of identification between 2019 and 2021.
However, the department made very slow progress in issuing smart ID cards.
The DHA estimated there were roughly 38 million ID books in use in 2013.
By March 2024, it had issued 26 million smart ID cards, which includes the cards of first-time ID holders.
Over the same period, many DHA branches had also issued more green ID books, which means the target number of 38 million has likely increased substantially.
The slow progress should be no surprise, considering the department’s offices have been plagued by severe connectivity issues and system downtime.
That has also impacted the uptime of its live-capture system, which is required to issue smart ID cards and passports.
These shortcomings have not stopped the department from making suggestions about an imminent invalidation of the green ID book.
In June 2024, former DHA minister Aaron Motsoaledi caused panic among green ID book holders when he told eNCA that the department would “very soon” make an announcement on abolishing the green ID book.
DHA deputy director-general Thulani Mavuso later told 702 that the department would phase out green ID books “within two years.”
Over the preceding two years, the DHA had only managed to issue 5.4 million cards.
For the 2024/2025 financial year, it had budgeted to issue a further 2.5 million cards.
If the DHA issued 5 million cards in the next two years, only about 31 million smart ID cards would have been issued since 2013.
That is seven million short of the DHA’s long-outdated replacement target, which does not include additional green ID books that have been issued.
Even at a pace of three million cards per year, it would take four to five years to reach the original target.
Therefore, Motsoaledi and Mavuso’s announcements were overly optimistic, if not irresponsible.
Mavuso subsequently told Moneyweb that the department had not yet set a date for the invalidation of green ID books as proof of identity.
However, several recent developments suggest the smart ID card rollout is picking up pace, bringing the inevitable phase-out of the green ID book a little closer.
Newly appointed DHA minister Leon Schreiber recently announced that the department cleared a backlog of 247,500 IDs caused by a switch to a new IT service provider in late 2023.
Schreiber explained the change created a bottleneck in multiple areas in the production value chain.
“As a result, nearly a quarter of a million applications became ‘stuck’ in a growing backlog,” the minister said.
If clearing the backlog was done without sacrificing the DHA’s regular average monthly card output, it would mean the DHA had effectively doubled the cards issued to South Africans over that period.
All-in on digital
Schreiber has also repeatedly punted his strategy to turn Home Affairs into a technology-led and digital-first department where South Africans won’t have to visit physical branches to access various services.
This plan will include an end-to-end digital platform that can handle all applications, adjudications, and communications between South Africans and the department.
It will include identity verification using existing biometric recognition technology and enable users to receive their requested documents at home or a preferred address.
The DHA already allows customers of major banks to use a digital system to book appointments, fill out applications, and pay for smart ID card renewals.
However, biometrics must still be captured at a bank branch, and the document must also be collected there.
The eHomeAffairs service is supported at 30 bank branches, and although its total contribution to smart ID card renewals was less than 700,000 by March 2024, it could see a radical expansion in the coming year.
The Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) recently told MyBroadband that the public-private partnerships that will enable banks to roll out the service are nearing finalisation.
Once finalised, the banks will be able to use their own personnel to take over the existing service and expand it to more branches, further increasing the rate of smart ID card issuing.
At least three major banks plan to expand the smart ID card and passport renewal service to an additional 34 branches, more than doubling the current capacity of the service.
Mavuso has told Moneyweb that the eHomeAffairs service could add about 200 more bank branches, presumably only if it makes financial sense for the banks to expand the service.
The DHA also added over 100 mobile Home Affairs offices to its fleet from May 2024, prior to Schreiber’s appointment.
That will enable it to improve its service offering in far-flung areas, including smart ID card issuing.