Beginning of the end for Home Affairs as you know it

Home Affairs is undergoing a revolution, with the department investing heavily in technology and partnerships with the private sector to improve access to its services and its efficiency. 

These investments are also set to come with significant changes to the country’s identification system, with a digital ID on the horizon. 

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the country will look back on the rollout of smart ID services at bank branches as the day the Home Affairs of old was dealt a fatal blow. 

This ‘old’ Home Affairs was characterised by poor service delivery, long wait times, and widespread corruption and identity fraud. 

Speaking at the launch of smart ID services at Standard Bank’s Maponya Mall branch, Schreiber said this is the beginning of the end for Home Affairs as you know it. 

“I invite you to write down this date. This is the day we will remember, 9 March 2026. Because I am absolutely convinced that over the coming years, we will come back to look at this moment as the day that Home Affairs changed forever,” Schreiber said. 

“This is the beginning of the end for long queues. The day that fraud and manipulation were dealt a blow that will ultimately prove fatal, and as the day that we took a decisive step towards delivering dignity for all.” 

Schreiber said the celebration of the smart ID services launch is a critical milestone that confirms Home Affairs is changing and that South Africa, more broadly, is turning the corner. 

“This is a symbol that confirms how Home Affairs is changing. That a department like this one is capable of expanding its reach, embracing innovation and technology, and working with partners to bring services closer to the people,” Schreiber said. 

Currently, 49 bank branches offer smart ID services through the partnership with Home Affairs, with plans to expand this to over 1,000 branches in the medium term. 

This will be enabled through the rollout of new devices at bank branches that do not require substantial staff training and installation. 

These devices, through the new partnership between banks and the department, will have direct access to Home Affairs’ upgraded Online Verification System (OVS). 

The banks can use their own staff, computers, and biometric equipment to process smart ID applications via an application programming interface that connects to Home Affairs’ systems.

In addition, users don’t need to book an appointment in advance on a website or app; they can drop by the branch and apply for their smart ID during regular branch trading hours.

The new Home Affairs

Schreiber explained that while the changes may seem simple on the surface, they are actually fundamental to how Home Affairs operates. 

The new devices being rolled out to bank branches across South Africa are completely digital, making them less susceptible to abuse and corruption. 

“There is no step in this process that is paper-based or manual or discretionary,” Schreiber explained. 

“For too long, the experience of Home Affairs has been defined by travelling great distances, standing in long queues, paperwork, interactions with officials, and issues of fraud and corruption.”

“If you look at the findings of a report from the Special Investigating Unit, it is all about manipulation and the ability to change an outcome. That is only possible when you have a manual system.” 

Schreiber explained that ending this requires significant investment in technology and Home Affairs’ capabilities, particularly the work done on the OVS. 

The OVS has existed since 2013 and enables banks to securely verify their clients’ identities to prevent credit fraud. 

“This was in decline, and it was not working properly. We have invested in upgrading that and have a clear plan for its maintenance,” Schreiber said. 

“This is really the backbone that has enabled us to now layer additional services onto the integration that has existed for more than a decade between banks and Home Affairs.” 

The enhanced OVS is the primary reason Home Affairs can now rapidly roll out smart ID services across the country. 

“I think it is worth emphasising again that this partnership has existed successfully since 2016. But what was really limiting us was that we were doing it manually and in an old-school way,” Schreiber said. 

“We were putting a little miniature Home Affairs office inside the bank branch. That required human resources, fingerprint scanners, cameras and devices. Home Affairs simply did not have the money to do it in more than 30 branches.”

“What were are changing is using technology to do this instead of these manual, duplicative processes. Suddenly, you go from 30 branches to having the capability to be in every bank branch.”