There is still no Smart ID deadline from Home Affairs in South Africa. Nevertheless, the department is adamant it wants all South African citizens to have one sooner rather than later. To sidestep the need for a defined Smart ID deadline, the department is instead making it significantly easier to switch.
As Minister Dr. Leon Schrieber has been saying since he took office in May 2024, the Smart ID cards dramatically reduce the risk of identity theft and financial fraud. Because switching is a matter of national security, there is no predetermined Smart ID deadline set.
SMART ID DEADLINE
As The South African has reported before, independent research proves the green ID booklet is the most defrauded on the African continent. And in spite of this, successive Home Affairs administrations have done little to ward off these vulnerabilities.
Speaking to Daily Investor, Dr. Schrieber was amazed to see the department’s innate inability to manage the Smart ID cards. “When I assumed office, nearly a third of Home Affairs offices did not even have the capability to handle Smart ID applications,” said the minister. And green ID booklet fraud persisted.
SMART ID DEADLINE SIDESTEP
“However, 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, there will be no need for us to enforce a Smart ID deadline. That is why our digital-first reform is pro-inclusion and pro-poor. And the most significant step Home Affairs has taken in years,” the minister said.
Therefore, setting a defined Smart ID deadline would not be in keeping the department’s duties to its citizens. Home Affairs first needs to ensure that every South African has access to the latest Smart ID technology. As March 2025, an estimated 29-million Smart ID cards had been issued. And it is understood that around 18-million green ID booklets are still in rotation. Experts believe a theoretically date of completion for everyone to switch could be possible by 2028.
But let us know what you think? Should Home Affairs set a Smart ID deadline? Would you swap if weren’t forced to?
