Dominic Adriaanse
THE end of the green identity book (ID) is in sight with the Department of Home Affairs’ launch of the groundbreaking online application platform for Smart ID cards and passports.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba visited the Standard Bank e-Home Affairs site at the Canal Walk shopping centre yesterday.
Other major banks will soon have Home Affairs kiosks inside their branches.
Clients will walk in to submit their fingerprints and pictures after appointments and payments are made online.
At present there are 12 branches that are active, Gigaba said, with 11 in Gauteng and the Canal Walk site for the Western Cape.
“As this is a combined partnership, we are looking into many factors in order to roll out more kiosks. Our goal is to remove the burden of long applications and ultimately remove the green ID book,” said Gigaba. The new and current processes will work concurrently. “We are aware that there are large numbers of people without access to the internet and that's why the older system is still available,” he said.
The department is focusing on 30 to 35 year olds as they are the largest users of online resources. This will reduce queues in the older system.
In the coming years all ID documents, certificates and passport applications will be done online, said Gigaba
Kiosk supervisor Ronald Ramaru said the new system was much more secure.
“The client submits their information online and they only have to come to branches to submit their fingerprints and collect their Smart ID.”
Once someone has obtained a Smart ID the old ID must be destroyed.