Home Affairs Minister sends a message to South Africans with green ID books

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said his department is committed to eradicating the green ID book in South Africa, as it costs the country billions of rands a year in identity theft. 

Schreiber said the document is widely recognised as one of the most manipulated and laundered on the African continent. 

This is why his department is committed to rolling out smart ID services in over 1,000 bank branches over the medium term. 

Speaking at the launch of smart ID services at Standard Bank’s Maponya Mall branch, Schreiber told attendees that the banking sector feels the brunt of identity theft in South Africa. 

The manipulation of identity documents and identity theft often result in illegal credit applications, loans, and fraud. 

“This partnership is about ensuring that every South African can access the services they need easily, securely, without identity fraud and without the frustration of long queues or unnecessary travel,” Schreiber said. 

South Africans can apply to replace their green ID with a smart ID card and to reissue ID documents if they have been stolen, lost, or damaged. 

Currently, this service is available at 49 bank branches across South Africa, with Capitec and Standard Bank being the first to roll out branches under the new digital partnership with Home Affairs. 

“This initiative is also, however, about protecting the identity of South Africans and of South Africa,” Schreiber said. 

“Today, around 16 million South Africans still rely on the green ID book, a document which is widely recognised as one of the most laundered on the African continent.” 

Schreiber explained that fraud linked to weak identity systems costs South Africa billions of rands every year, with the country still using outdated modes of identification. 

“And so, it is a no-brainer that we have a common interest in this project to eradicate the scourge of identity theft, which is in many ways linked to the green ID book,” Schreiber said. 

“Accelerating the transition to the smart ID to strengthen our national identity system is one of the core aims of this project, and we encourage South Africans to seize the opportunity and secure their identity by transitioning away from the green ID book.” 

Schreiber said the green ID books’ use of physical photographs makes them one of the easiest documents to manipulate. 

The end of green ID books in South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs has been working hard to reduce the number of green ID books in use in South Africa, significantly scaling up the issuance of smart IDs. 

In 2025, the department issued a record four million ID cards, which is the highest rate in the history of Home Affairs. 

This stands in stark contrast to Home Affairs’ performance in the years gone by, with previous ministers warning about the green ID book’s vulnerabilities but unable to expand access to smart IDs. 

“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.”

Home Affairs has an ambitious target of 1,000 bank branches equipped with smart ID services over the medium term, with future plans including passport services. 

While this is about expanding access, Schreiber explained that it is also about reducing the scope for manipulation and, thus, fraud. 

“It is all ultimately about manipulation, about the ability to change an outcome. That is only possible when you have a manual system. It is only possible when you have someone with the discretion to accept a bribe and change an outcome,” Schreiber said. 

“Seeing these beautiful machines, you will see in practice what it means when you remove those kinds of avenues for manipulation.”

This has only been possible through significant investment in Home Affairs’ Online Verification Service, which has historically been underfunded and abused. 

The shortcomings of this system made it difficult to verify South Africans’ identities and scale up the rollout of smart IDs.