Capitec, FNB to deliver smart IDs, passports in hundreds of its branches

The Herald

5 days ago

Capitec and First National Bank are the first banks to sign up to the home affairs department's digital partnership model that will expand access to smart ID and passport services from the existing 30 branches to hundreds more.
In fulfilment of the target set by cabinet, which tasks the department with expanding its services to 1,000 bank branches by 2029, the department's director-general Tommy Makhode wrote to CEOs of Absa, African Bank, TymeBank, Capitec Bank, Discovery Bank, First National Bank, Investec Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank on April 30 inviting them to join the digital-first new phase of the department's existing collaboration with the banking sector.
'This collaboration dates back more than a decade and has, until now, seen the successful delivery of smart ID and passport services at only 30 branches across five different banks,' the department said in a statement.
However, that original model relied on the costly duplication of home affairs staff and hardware inside bank branches and failed to take advantage of technology to expand services to all rural and urban areas where bank branches exist.
Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber will visit Capitec and FNB this week to provide further information on how this reform will benefit South Africans.
'It marks the beginning of the end for long travelling distances to reach home affairs services, for long queues, as well as for the green ID book with its unacceptable vulnerability to fraud and identity theft,' the department said.
TimesLIVE