The relationship in South Africa between smart ID cards and SASSA grants is under the Department of Home Affairs’ microscope. It said in a parliamentary portfolio committee this week (Tuesday 29 October 2024) that South African Social Security Agency beneficiaries with ID cards and SASSA grants are safer than those with only the ‘green mamba’ ID booklet.
Furthermore, the deputy minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza believes that wholesale adoption of smart ID cards will go a long way to preventing SASSA grant fraud going forward. The department’s goal is to make the process Home Affairs process fully paperless – much like SARS – in which it operates like a ‘digital office’.
ID CARDS AND SASSA GRANTS
The committee underlined the endemic state of fraudulent activity at the agency, too. This starts with unlawful attainment of South African residency and/or citizenship. From there, due to the close relationship between Home Affairs and SASSA databases, access to taxpayer money through social welfare is not impossible to secure.
“Because corruption is such an ever-changing and advancing phenomenon, the Department has strengthened its counter-corruption programme. Criminals never rest, and neither should we. And that’s why the issue of smart ID cards and SASSA grants needs to be addressed. Full digitisation and a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption is the only way forward,” said the department.
UPGRADE TO A SMART ID CARD
This sentiment was reiterated recently by Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber. He is pushing for Home Affairs to move away from a paper-based system entirely to ensure every citizen is ‘digitised on their database’ with a smart ID card. There have been billions lost in fraudulent SASSA payments over the years. And he’s hoping the future of ID cards and SASSA grants will be safeguarded by this process.
Specifically, Home Affairs says, ‘green mamba’ ID booklets are going to be phased out in South Africa soon. Although it declined to commit to a deadline. However, some SASSA SRD beneficiaries in 2024 say they are falling foul of newly instated biometric verification for grants. This requires a digital image of the beneficiary be uploaded to Home Affairs for facial recognition. Moreover, some SRD recipients don’t have access to a smartphone and the internet, therefore they’re effectively barred from the system for not having a smart ID card.
MILLIONS OF PAPER RECORDS
Nevertheless, the future of ID cards and SASSA grants is daunting, explains Nzuza. Building a ‘digital Home Affairs’ means getting rid of millions of paper records. A green ID booklet remains dangerous because criminals can easily counterfeit paper documents with barcode readers. “We have to eliminate the green barcoded ID immediately. We are working on smoothing the way for ID cards and SASSA grants,” says Nzuza.
Currently, the application process to get a smart ID card is a hybrid one. It starts with an online application HERE to book an appointment. But you still have to visit a Home Affairs branch in person to supply your biometrics – facial recognition photos and fingerprints.
WHAT TO DO
- Visit the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHome.
- Select Apply Online for South African smart ID card.
- Go to Registration.
- Input your personal details: Name, ID number, passport number or birth certificate number, date of birth, email address, and cell phone number.
- Upload all the necessary documents requested.
- Make an EFT Payment online to Home Affairs. You can also Deposit Money into the Home Affairs account if you don’t have access to online banking. Don’t forget to include the reference number.
- After payment, select the Department of Home Affairs branch you wish to visit for your appointment. Click HERE to see all the available branches.
- Your smart ID card will be available for collection from Home Affairs within 14 working days from the day of the application.
The smart ID card has been available to citizens for over a decade now. And Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza says: “We ultimately want everyone to get the smart ID. It will help the government if everyone has a more secure ID document. And we aim to issue 2.5-million smart ID cards this financial year alone.”
HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR SASSA GRANT STOLEN?
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