South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister has unveiled a digital transformation initiative designed to streamline access to departmental services by allowing citizens to complete applications for IDs, passports, and visas online, thereby minimizing the need for in-person visits. This online platform aims to address existing inefficiencies and improve service delivery, utilizing advanced facial and fingerprint recognition technology for instant verification of applicants.
Schreiber explained that the system will enable South Africans to submit applications for IDs, passports, certificates, and visas through a secure online portal. The platform will then verify the documents, check for fraud, perform facial recognition, cross-reference databases, process cashless payments, and communicate the outcome to applicants, all within seconds.
This digital shift is expected to speed up the process while reducing the need for in-person interactions, cutting down on long wait times, lost paperwork, and corruption. It will also free up Home Affairs employees to assist vulnerable populations, such as those in rural areas, individuals without access to smart devices, and those with urgent or complex cases that require personal attention.
Schreiber acknowledged the department’s past struggles with system outages, despite a R400 million network upgrade in 2022 by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA). The most recent outage occurred in January 2024. He emphasized that fixing the department’s poor internet infrastructure is critical to the success of the digital transformation.
In addition to serving citizens within South Africa, the platform is designed to support South Africans worldwide, with the possibility of IDs and passports being delivered directly to their homes, similar to how banks deliver debit and credit cards. This ambitious project aims to modernize and streamline Home Affairs services, bringing convenience to millions of South Africans.
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