Home Affairs Minister’s message to people with green ID books in South Africa

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said his department will make switching from a green ID book to a smart ID significantly easier and more accessible.

He said this would dramatically reduce the risks of identity theft and financial fraud associated with the outdated green ID book.

However, the minister noted that there is no predetermined date, as we first need to ensure that every South African has access to the alternative in the form of the Smart ID.

Schreiber told Daily Investor that successive Home Affairs administrations have warned about the vulnerabilities of the green ID book, but failed to sufficiently expand access to the alternative, more secure smart ID. 

“In fact, when I assumed office, I found that nearly a third of existing Home Affairs offices do not even have the capability to handle Smart ID applications, with the result that new Green IDs are still being produced despite the risks,” he said. 

“Our new digital partnership model is set to change all this by enabling South Africans to obtain smart IDs from hundreds of bank branches around the country, and from digital banking applications, enhancing access particularly in rural and underserved communities.” 

“That is why this digital-first reform is the most pro-inclusion and pro-poor step that Home Affairs has taken in many years.”

Schreiber is referring to his department’s ‘Home Affairs @ home initiative’, which intended to lessen the strain on Home Affairs’ physical branches and modernise routine processes like ID and passport renewals.

The Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) push for a shift away from green ID books is rooted in the risks these documents pose to South Africans.

Schreiber told Daily investor that independent research has suggested that the green ID is the most defrauded document on the African continent. In contrast, the smart ID is “exponentially” more secure. 

“Delivering on our digital-first reforms so that everyone can get a smart ID will dramatically reduce the risks of identity theft and financial fraud inherent to the outdated green ID book,” the minister said.

Phasing out green ID books

Schreiber noted that there is no predetermined date for the full phasing out of the green ID books.

He explained that this is because the DHA first needs to ensure that every South African has access to the alternative in the form of the smart ID.

This will be aided by the DHA’s expanded partnership with South African banks, with the department aiming to roll out smart ID services to 1,000 bank branches across the country.

MyBroadband reported that the DHA aimed to replace around 38 million green ID books in rotation in 2013. As of March 2025, it has issued an estimated 29 million smart ID cards.

However, the publication noted that many of these were for first-time ID applicants, and, therefore, did not necessarily reduce the number of green ID books.

In addition, many Home Affairs branches still lack the necessary infrastructure and technology to process smart ID applications. Because of this, around 18 million green ID books remained in circulation by March 2025.

MyBroadband performed an analysis using the DHA’s rollout plans for bank branches that are able to issue smart IDs.

The publication found that, with the addition of six participating banks, there should be a 290% increase in the number of location supporting smart ID applications.

This, combined with the Government Printing Works’ capacity to produce up to nine million smart ID cards per year, means the DHA could, theoretically, replace all the remaining green ID books in South Africa by 2028.

However, it noted that funding may be an ongoing concern, with the DHA already strained amidst its ambitious plans.

In an interview with PSG in August 2025, Schreiber explained that, in a country like South Africa that struggles with sluggish growth and high unemployment, simply using a lack of funding as an excuse to maintain the status quo is not the right attitude.

Therefore, one of his main areas of focus is ensuring that Home Affairs is not only able to implement its ambitious plans, but also finance them without relying on additional funding from the national fiscus.

One revenue stream the DHA has focused on is its online verification service to banks and other financial service institutions.

Earlier this year, the department made the controversial decision to increase the fees for verifications from around R0.15 previously to R10 per single real-time verification check and R1 per field request for non-live batch verifications.

While some critics slammed this increase, Schreiber argued that the service has been immensely improved and could now perform in real time, with the failure rate reduced to below 1%.

This additional revenue will also allow the DHA to roll out the service to more institutions and fund many of its other ambitious projects to improve South Africans’ experience with Home Affairs.