Bad news for people who want a new smart ID or passports

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has been quiet about adding more DHA-supported bank branches to the current network, through which South Africans can apply for their smart ID or passport.

Participating banks last told MyBroadband that they were awaiting a decision on whether the DHA services would be offered at more bank branches.

We asked the DHA for an update, but it hadn’t answered our questions by publication.

Smart ID and passport renewal services are currently offered on a pilot basis at select branches of South Africa’s major banks.

The DHA set an initial deadline of 31 March 2024 for the pilot, and later extended its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with banks to September 2024.

In September, the Banking Association of South Africa told MyBroadband that they were nearing the finalisation of legal agreements with the DHA that would allow more bank branches to join the programme.

BASA’s prudential head, Mark Brits, has confirmed to MyBroadband that the PPP agreements should be completed and signed by the end of September 2024, with the last bit of legalities getting ironed out.

The only big adjustment the PPPs will enable is that the banks will be able to deploy their own staff to process applications and collections.

DHA staff will be released back to the department to help strengthen services at its own offices.

The MOU has been extended by another year to ensure a smooth transition and give the DHA time to finalise its legal frameworks so that bank staff can handle its services.

However, Brits said that the finalisation of the agreements would mean banks can start expanding their DHA-enabled branches.

South Africans should not expect a sudden surge in new branches, as the banks and DHA still need to agree on the best locations to roll out the service.

The rollout strategy will be based on several factors — including providing adequate coverage in areas with demand and ensuring a particular branch has sufficient staff and expertise to render a high-quality service.

In addition, the rollouts will require the State Information Technology Agency to connect the branches with Home Affairs systems, including the National Population Register.

Several banks have told MyBroadband they will definitely expand their Home Affairs-enabled footprint once the agreements are in place.

In recent feedback to MyBroadband, FNB said it plans to add 18 new branches to its DHA-supported network when it is allowed.

Absa said several sites are lined up for the rollout of DHA services.

“As Absa regards this as an essential service to support the DHA in fulfilling its social responsibility, we have an additional 12 branch sites ready for the activation of DHA services,” said Absa’s managing executive for integrated channels, Tshiwela Mhlantla.

Standard Bank currently offers DHA services at more branches than any of the other participating banks, with nine sites in total. It said the DHA has the discretion to activate new sites.

“Whilst we allow for the service to be offered in our dedicated branches, the service and the department’s digital systems remain entirely independent and controlled by the department,” it said.

Therefore, Standard Bank has no control over online bookings, turnaround times, collection dates, or cancellation notifications.

Nedbank told MyBroadband that it eagerly awaits a decision from the DHA that will allow it to expand the services to more bank branches.

Capitec doesn’t currently offer DHA services at its branches and said it has no immediate plans to do so.

“Our primary focus is to ensure a positive client experience while keeping waiting times within our service level agreement,” said Asha Patel, Capitec’s brand and communications head.

“Currently, we cannot offer additional services beyond our Global One offering. Therefore, we will not support the DHA Smart ID document and passport application process.”

However, she said this is a decision Capitec may reassess in future.

Regarding the current DHA-supported bank branches, Standard Bank leads the pack with nine, followed by FNB with seven, and Absa and Nedbank with six each.

It should be noted that banks like Discovery Bank and Investec also offer DHA services at one site each.

The table below lists all 30 bank branches at which South Africans can apply for their smart ID card or passport.