Latest news with #SmartIDs
The Citizen
02-08-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Home Affairs dismisses five more officials amid corruption and misconduct crackdown
Home Affairs dismisses five more officials amid corruption and misconduct crackdown The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed five officials with immediate effect for serious offences, including fraud and sexual assault, as part of its continued internal clean-up campaign. The total number of officials dismissed between July 2024 and July 2025 now stands at 38. In a statement issued on July 30, the department confirmed that eight of those dismissed have already been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 18 years. Meanwhile, 19 additional officials are facing criminal prosecution. ALSO READ: Home Affairs unveils international service hubs for faster passport processing These latest disciplinary actions follow last month's breakthrough in Durban, where two department officials and three members of the public were arrested in connection with a fraudulent passport syndicate. 'These results demonstrate the growing success of Home Affairs in dealing with criminal syndicates both inside and outside the department,' the statement read. Zero tolerance for corruption and abuse Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber reaffirmed the department's zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, warning that those involved in corruption or abuse would no longer be shielded by bureaucratic delays. 'In just 12 months, we have already rid Home Affairs of 38 crooked and delinquent officials,' Schreiber said. 'I repeat my warning to anyone involved in corruption: the days of defrauding this department or committing acts of sexual harassment or abuse while relying on long, drawn-out disciplinary processes are over.' ALSO READ: Home Affairs extends weekday hours to help learners collect Smart IDs and passports The minister also praised committed staff members who have supported and accelerated internal disciplinary processes. 'These diligent officials are helping to shape the future of Home Affairs. As #TeamHomeAffairs, we are working together to root out corruption and restore public trust,' he said. The department's continued efforts are part of a broader strategy to professionalise public service delivery and strengthen internal accountability mechanisms.
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Home Affairs extends July operating hours
To accommodate school pupils applying for and collecting Smart IDs over the holidays, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended operating times by two hours. From 7 to 21 July, DHA branches – including Empangeni and Richards Bay – will close at 6pm rather than 4pm. 'I would like to encourage all clients who have applied for their identification documents and have been waiting for three weeks or more, to seize this opportunity by visiting their Home Affairs office to collect these critical documents,' said Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber. Other interventions aimed to boost DHA services include: Introducing dedicated counters for collections in large offices that process Smart ID cards and passports, where space allows Allowing clients who cannot book appointments to visit as walk-ins The public can book applications or collection appointments using the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS), found on the DHA website. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The South African
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The South African
UPDATE on Smart IDs for naturalised citizens
For the longest time, Smart IDs for naturalised citizens were simply not available. Almost unconstitutionally, anyone who'd become a lawful permanent resident in South Africa was effectively barred from obtaining one. However, one-month ago, on Sunday 11 May 2025, Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber announced Smart IDs for naturalised citizens were finally going ahead. It is understood that more than 1.4-million lawful permanent residents are now eligible for the latest ID. Government has long touted the enhanced security of the Smart ID card. And yet millions were unable to access it, until now. Image: File Frankly, we were appalled that such a situation even existed. In the past we were regularly contacted by readers on our WhatsApp line. Despite having all the same constitutionally enshrined rights, naturalised citizens were being discriminated against for decades. To become a naturalised South African citizen, you must first hold permanent residency for at least five years. However, the good news is that Smart IDs for naturalised citizens are now available to anyone eligible through the e-Home Affairs platform. The application cost is R140. 'This is a major milestone on the digital transformation journey of Home Affairs. It is a victory for social inclusion and national security. These citizens and lawful residents were previously excluded from the Smart ID and restricted to the vulnerable green ID book,' said Dr. Schreiber Dr. Leon Schreiber's reforms at Home Affairs have been impressive in just over one year since taking office. Image: File Technology and IT system issues were the reason for unavailability of Smarts IDs for naturalised citizens prior, reports BusinessTech . Due to the vagaries of the old Home Affairs' paper-based system, only certain residents could access Smart IDs on an invite-only basis. This was because all processing had to be done manually. Worse still, naturalised citizens were only permitted to visit a handful of outdated Home Affairs offices that still supported the issuing of old green ID booklets. Embarrassingly for previous leadership, Smart IDs have been around since 2013. And green ID booklets were purported to be phased out somewhere between 2018 and 2022. And yet, they still remain in use, despite government's own concerns about fraud and identity theft. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Naturalised citizens and permanent residents can now access Smart ID cards for the first time
Home Affairs Minister Schreiber says naturalised citizens and permanent residents in South Africa can now apply for Smart ID cards through eHomeAffairs, correcting years of exclusion and improving national security and digital access. Image: Armand Hough Independent Newspapers The Department of Home Affairs has announced that for the first time in South African history, naturalised citizens and lawful permanent residents will now be able to apply for Smart ID cards, including through the eHomeAffairs platform. This major development will take effect from Monday and is the result of months of targeted Information Technology reforms. For years, these groups were excluded from accessing Smart IDs and were limited to the older, less secure green bar-coded ID book. This not only affected their ability to use eHomeAffairs but also raised security concerns linked to outdated documentation. The new digital transformation measures introduced by Home Affairs have corrected this disparity, providing full Smart ID access to over 1.4 million people. Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber hailed the move as a historic milestone, saying: 'This breakthrough for our digital transformation reforms directly delivers dignity to over 1.4 million people, including hundreds of thousands of South African citizens, who had their dignity infringed for years by being treated unequally. ''For years, these South Africans were treated as second-class citizens by being excluded from access to the Smart ID and from eHomeAffairs, which effectively forced them to use only the green bar-coded ID despite the government's stated intent to do away with this document over fraud concerns.' Schreiber added: 'But the benefits of rectifying this inequality extend beyond these 1.4 million direct beneficiaries. This is also a victory for improved national security. Naturalised citizens and permanent residents were the last remaining groups of people eligible for South African ID documents, who were excluded from obtaining Smart IDs. ''Thanks to our redress of this long-standing injustice, every eligible person in South Africa is now able to obtain a Smart ID for the first time. This takes us much closer to fully adopting the Smart ID and doing away with the green bar-coded ID book, thereby eliminating the fraud linked to this document.' As part of the roll-out, Home Affairs offices will also operate extended hours on the Saturdays of May 17, 24 and 31, 2025 for 08:00am to 13:00pm to manage increased application volumes. The Department is also working to expand access through more participating bank branches, ensuring broader reach across the country. 'Now that all citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible for the Smart ID, what remains is to geographically expand access to all. ''The Department is already hard at work to also deliver on this objective, by dramatically increasing the number of bank branches that take applications for Smart IDs and passports. It is clear that we are making ever more rapid progress in using digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ home,' said Schreiber. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Naturalised South Africans can now apply for Smart IDs
For three weekends this month home affairs will extend operations to accommodate the expected large group of people applying for Smart IDs. Naturalised South Africans and permanent residents can now obtain Smart ID cards from this week, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says. For years, IT failures forced South Africans born abroad and permanent residents to continue using only the insecure green bar-coded ID book. Schreiber said these individuals were excluded from obtaining the more secure Smart ID. It also prevented them from using the eHomeAffairs platform to make bookings. Dignity for over 1.4 million people 'This breakthrough in our digital transformation reforms directly delivers dignity to over 1.4 million people, including hundreds of thousands of South African citizens, who had their dignity infringed for years by being treated unequally. 'For years, these South Africans were treated as second-class citizens by being excluded from access to the Smart ID and from eHomeAffairs, which effectively forced them to use only the green bar-coded ID despite the government's stated intent to do away with this document over fraud concerns,' he said. ALSO READ: Phil Craig's Citizenship Controversy Explained | The Citizen High volumes of applications expected He said in rare cases a small number of naturalised citizens were able to obtain Smart IDs only after being granted permission by the minister and following a tedious manual process. 'The department's digital transformation drive has now changed all of this and has delivered change for over 1.4 million eligible South Africans and lawful permanent residents. 'For the first time ever, they will now be able to use eHomeAffairs and obtain Smart IDs like all other eligible persons,' he said. Schreiber said the department of home affairs would extend its working hours on weekend in anticipation of large volumes of people who are expected to apply for their Smart IDs. NOW READ: ConCourt strikes down Citizenship Act clause, restores citizenship for affected South Africans
