Johannesburg - People in Johannesburg had mixed thoughts about the new Home Affairs Department’s system for ID and passports applications. While others did not trust it, many people were excited about it.
Despite the convenience of the new system, Vincent Skosana, 23, said he would stick to the long Home Affairs queues.
“They are more experienced because they have been working with these type of things for ages, so I trust that nothing will go wrong with my documents if they are in their hands,” he said, adding that banks were best suited for handling financial matters.
“I am sceptical with this new system. People hack into our online accounts so much that I don’t even trust my bank, so I would not trust the online system nor the bank with my identity documents”, said Tiisetso Thipe.
He said he would rather stand in the queues and get his smart ID through Home Affairs.
Zanele Simelane, 34, also preferred to apply for her smart ID through Home Affairs.
She said the only thing she was concerned about was the safety of her identity card. However, Simelane trusted the new system since it would be entrusted with the big banks in the country.
Lucy Ramafalo, 35, said she heard about the system on Thursday and the following day she went straight to Nedbank in Wonderpark Mall to get her smart ID.
It was, however, unfortunate for her that the new system was not yet in place at the bank.
Ramafalo said it was clever of the government to introduce such an innovative system.
“It is definitely going to make our lives a lot easier. The banks have always been quicker in terms of service. The queues will now be shorter or maybe there will be no queues at all,” she said.
Dalu Majeke, 41, who was at the Joburg Home Affairs branch for his smart ID, said he hoped that the system had been thoroughly tested and established. If so, he would definitely use it to his advantage. Majeke also thought it was clever of government to liaise with the banks. “For people who are internet smart, this would be an advantage.
“If I can trust my bank with my money, I do not see a reason why I can’t trust it with helping me get my ID or passport,” he said. Majeke said even though he trusted the system, nothing can ever be a 100 percent. He expected glitches but hoped the government was fully prepared to deal with any problems that may arise.
The Star