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Over 100,000 smart ID cards collecting dust at Home Affairs offices
There are currently 105,000 smart ID cards that remain uncollected from Home Affairs offices across the country, according to home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
Responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Laetitia Arries, Motsoaledi also said his department had several interventions in place to help boost collection before national and provincial elections on 29 May 2024.
“The number of uncollected new issued ID smart cards is 105,000,” the minister said. However, he noted that this figure tended to fluctuate daily.
“The total number of smart identification cards fluctuates usually at any given time because, as ID cards are collected, new applications come in immediately,” said Motsoaledi.
He added that most citizens who apply for smart ID cards aren’t in a rush to collect the document as they already have the green barcoded ID booklet, which allows them to do anything the cards enable — including voting.
Motsoaledi didn’t specify how many of these uncollected smart ID cards were sitting at Home Affairs-linked bank branches across South Africa.
The pilot project, which allows customers of South African banks to renew their passports or apply for a smart ID card at bank branches, was launched in 2015.
South African citizens who hold an account with the bank can use the Department of Home Affairs’ online platform, eHomeAffairs, to submit the required documentation and book an appointment to capture their biometrics at one of its supported branches.
The booking process is relatively straightforward, with the platform auto-filling most of the required information.
Users must enter their country of citizenship, birth town, residential and postal address, and the bank branch which they want to use.
Customers can then collect their renewed passport or smart ID from the same branch at which their biometrics were captured.
There are currently 30 Home Affairs-linked bank branches offering these services in the country. These are broken down per bank as follows:
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Standard Bank — 9
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FNB — 7
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Absa — 6
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Nedbank — 6
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Investec Bank — 1
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Discovery Bank — 1
However, the minister says there are more on the way, and once fully launched, the number of DHA-approved bank branches could more than double.
Motsoaledi previously said 43 bank branches were ready to roll out the services.
Rush to collect before election day
Motsoaledi also revealed some of the interventions his department has implemented to boost smart ID card collection before the 2024 elections.
However, it should be emphasised that it is perfectly acceptable for voters to present a valid green barcoded ID book if they do not have their smart ID card.
Department of Home Affairs offices opened on several Saturdays in April and will open again on 4, 11, 18, and 25 May.
The offices will be open from 08:00 until 17:00 on these dates to encourage ID document collection and to resolve duplicate cases.
In addition, Home Affairs offices will be open for an extra three hours on Monday, 27 May, and Tuesday, 28 May, and the department will deploy mobile units to areas where it does not have a presence.
On election day, operational hours will follow the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s schedule.
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