South Africans who were alarmed by former Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s comments in June that their green ID books would soon become invalid can breathe easy: the pace at which the department is rolling out the newer Smart IDs means the D-day for the green booklet is likely still a long way away.
Meanwhile, the new administration is bringing some new ideas—including a “refresh” of the smart ID—while sticking to the exact old timelines proposed by the previous one.
At the end June, Motsoaledi told ENCA that the Department of Home Affairs was working with the CSIR to update DHA systems in a bid to increase the rollout of Smart IDs so the country could “do away with the green ID book”.
He said the department would make an announcement “very soon” about making the older green ID book invalid. The department said it wanted to phase out the green IDs within two to three years.
However, the department previously made it clear that the green ID book would only be declared invalid once all its centres had smart enrollment facilities for faster ID card applications.
This has not yet been achieved, and the rollout of the Smart IDs has been slow: too slow to keep up with the population growth.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) introduced smart ID cards in July 2013 with the intention of phasing out the green ID booklets from 2018 to 2022.
However, only 21 million Smart IDs had been issued by the end of 2023.
This means that 42 million people in South Africa would still need to be processed. This would require around 14 million Smart IDs to be issued each year over three years to meet the lofty target (not factoring in various variables like migration, births, deaths, etc).
According to the DHA, it issued 2.6 million smart ID cards against a target of 2.2 million in the 2022/23 financial year.
The new administration delivered the latest budget vote for the department in July. It said it was aiming for 2.5 million smart ID cards to be issued during the 2024/25 financial year.
At this production rate, the DHA will struggle to justify a deadline for invalidating South Africa’s green ID books.
The DHA’s plans to phase out the greed ID book are also compounded by the fact that new books are being issued each year, including millions issued for learners aged 16 heading into senior phase, and those issued to naturalised citizens or people with permanent residency who are not eligible for Smart IDs.
New home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said earlier in July that a system for the latter is being phased in. However, he could not give a timeline.
“This is being phased-in, with 280 cards already issued and another 697 in progress. Once the system has been adjusted to verify compliant applications, all naturalized citizens will be able to visit any Home Affairs office equipped with live-capture facilities to apply for their smart ID cards,” he said.
However, the minister has thrown in another possible complication, stating that, during the current administration, both the passport and smart ID card will be refreshed and updated.
This will be done “to enhance the security features of these documents, with the aim of building trust by more countries and organisations worldwide”, he said. This could complicate and potentially further delay the rollout.
New Home Affairs minister, Leon Schreiber
Other measures
The department has tried to speed up application and delivery of Smart IDs in the country by rolling out services to more branches, launching mobile service units, and opening satellite offices in high-traffic areas, such as major shopping malls and bank branches.
The partnership with the banks for these services has been hit with several delays, currently only operating at 30 or so branches as part of an extended “pilot” programme. On launch, as many as 40 new bank branches could be added to this, making services more widely available.
However, the Banking Association of South Africa confirmed to BusinessTech in May 2024 that the deadline of March 2024 was once again extended to September 2024 for the department and the banks to sign on.
The system has been in operation for almost nine years, with “periodical upgrades” being made. Over 3.5 million South Africans have used the bank branch system for the Smart IDs and passports, the department said.

The Department of Home Affairs has gazetted notice of its intent to cancel ID books and ID cards in South Africa for people whose ID numbers have been blocked.
Home Affairs Director General Tommy Makhode said that the decision was taken to cancel ID documents flagged for the following reasons:
•    ID documents or cards issued to people whose names are not required in section 5 of the Identification Act to be included in the population register.
•    ID documents or cards that do not correctly reflect the particulars to whom they were issued.
•    ID documents or cards that were fraudulently obtained—in that false statements were made, and false information was provided at the time of application for or issuance of the documents.
•    ID documents or cards that were forged—in that the documents or cards that were lawfully issued to other people were stolen or otherwise unlawfully obtained or altered to reflect the names or images of someone who is not included in the population register.
The department did not specify how many of these documents would be affected, but said that any person who is affected by the cancellation of their IDs has 30 days from the publication of the gazette (ie, until 16 September) to provide a written response with reasons why their ID documents or cards should not be cancelled.
“Should I not receive the requested written reasons or representations, I shall proceed to cancel the identity document or card accordingly,” Makhode said.
Through the move, Home Affairs aims to both resolve the decades-old issue of wrongfully blocked IDs while reducing the number of fraudulent documents in circulation.
Some of the IDs were originally blocked as far back as 2005 for a range of reasons. This includes the biometric system flagging the documents as duplicates, held by illegal immigrants, or because the ID holder had passed away.
By providing the public with an opportunity to make representations, the department intends to end the inconvenience caused by the block to holders of legitimate IDs, while cancelling IDs held by unauthorised persons.
The gazetting of this measure is also in furtherance of compliance with a court order handed down earlier this year, which required the department to undertake a fair administrative process to differentiate between IDs that have been wrongfully blocked and IDs that represent genuine security threats.
The notice follows a high-profile scandal around the Miss South Africa beauty pageant, where the department discovered prima facie evidence that the mother of one of the contestants had illegally obtained identification documents.
It also comes amid a renewed clampdown on fraud and illegal operations from within Home Affairs, where syndicates have been found to be colluding with insiders to falsify documents for people who would not otherwise qualify for them.
In August, a 12-year sentence was handed down against one of the operatives in this illicit trade, with new Home Affairs minister Dr Leon Schreiber signalling that the department is focusing on rooting out corruption.
“(The) sentence must inaugurate a new culture of zero-tolerance towards corruption. The fight against corruption in this department, as demonstrated by the serious nature of the issues raised in this case, is particularly urgent given that Home Affairs sits at the heart of our national security apparatus,” Schreiber said.
Home Affairs has been struggling for years to effectively root out corrupt operations and restore faith in the security of South Africa’s passports and ID documents.
Several countries and regions—most recently Ireland—have shut down easy-access travel to their borders due to the security concerns present, including many foreigners travelling on fraudulent South African documentation.
The problems also lie within South Africa’s borders, however.
At the end of July, 95 Libyans were arrested in White River, having entered the country with visas that were acquired through misrepresentation in Tunisia.
Home Affairs subsequently cancelled the irregularly acquired visas, and is in the process of deporting the foreign nationals.
“One operation at a time, we must restore the rule of law. Respect our laws, or there will be consequences,” said Schreiber.

 For the past eight years, Mqokeleli Sigwintshi has been trying to get a birth certificate from the Department of Home Affairs for his son, who is now nine years old. Sigwintshi said in 2015, his wife, with whom he had a traditional marriage, gave birth to their son at the Willowvale Health Centre. A year later, his wife visited her family in Mthatha. He said a month after she left, he received a call from a man who told him to come fetch his son in Mthatha, where his wife had left him. He said he travelled there as soon as he could. When he got there, the man directed him to a shebeen. “When I got to the shebeen, I found my son playing outside. He was only wearing a nappy, no clothes,” said Sigwintshi. At the time the child was only one year and a few months old. “I was very shocked and angry at the same time to find my son in that manner. I didn’t even know if he had eaten or not. Inside the shebeen there was a woman. She was the one who was looking after my son. I suspect the man who called me was her husband. It is clear they got my number from my wife,” said Sigwintshi. He said the woman gave him his son’s clinic card, and he had been taking care of his son ever since, but has been unable to obtain a birth certificate. He said each time when he visited the Department of Home Affairs, officials told him to go look for the mother of his son. “I don’t know how many times I visited Home Affairs in East London since 2016. My son is using my surname, the clinic card has my surname because we thought it was going to be easy when he uses my surname since his mother didn’t have an ID. I’ve given the officials many affidavits, letters from social workers including letters from our Chief but still I’m not being assisted.” He said at one time officials said he needed to get a DNA test to prove he was the child’s father. He did so in 2019 and the results stated there was a 99.9% certainty he is the father. He has been living in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, since 2021, and the last time he went to Home Affairs in East London was in 2023. “Even after I gave them everything, they still said that I need to find my wife so she can be the one doing the birth certificate for our son.” He was told that as a man, he was not able to obtain the birth certificate. “I gave them everything they requested but still they have not helped me.” Although his son is nine-years-old, and is now being cared for by Sigwintshi’s brother in Willowvale, and has been unable to attend school because the schools demand a birth certificate before they will admit him. “This is not fair to my son. My boy wants to go to school like other children,” said Sigwintshi. When contacted on 30 July, Department of Home Affairs spokesperson David Hlabane said the matter is being investigated, and asked for Sigwintshi’s contact details, which GroundUp provided after obtaining Sigwintshi’s permission to do so. On 13 August, Sigwintshi said he has since received a temporary birth certificate for his son, who on 12 August was able to start school in Willowvale. Eastern Cape Education Department spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said children could not be denied schooling because they do not have a birth certificate. “As the department we will investigate the matter and check what went wrong,” said Mtima.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has called for concerted efforts to ensure that the potential of the tourism sector to grow the economy is realised.
The sector is one of the apex contributors to the economy.
The country is seeking to attract 15 million tourists to South Africa by 2030 as the National Development Plan envisages.
Delivering a report on the economic impact on the tourism sector in Johannesburg yesterday, De Lille outlined the plans of the 7th administration to support the industry under the Government of National Unity.
“Our investments must be strategic. We must invest in marketing, we must invest in infrastructure and we must ensure policy adjustment and that’s my role to make sure that we maximise the potential of this sector. Even more so, I will be reviewing all existing policies to [make sure] that we grow at a faster pace,” says De Lille.
National Development Plan | Tourism assets in South Africa: Patricia de Lille

People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics show.
Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131 200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia.
While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy.
The data showed of those departing 80 174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Merrily Allen is currently planning her move with her partner and 14-year-old daughter in early 2025 to Hobart on the Australian island state of Tasmania
`There is a lot of opportunity over there. They`re always, always looking for people in my profession,” said Allen, who works in dental administration.
`I`ve got a lot of friends that have gone (to Australia) ... purely because of better work opportunities, better living. Australia just seems to have it together.`
During the pandemic, encouraged by the then government`s handling of the outbreak, New Zealanders living overseas returned home in historically high numbers.
But the love affair with the country of 5.3 million, is over for some. Economists say New Zealanders frustrated by the cost of living, high interest rates and fewer job opportunities, are looking to Australia, the UK and elsewhere.
New Zealand’s economy is struggling after the central bank hiked cash rates 521 basis points in its most aggressive tightening since the official cash rate was introduced in 1999. The economy annual growth of 0.2% in the first quarter, unemployment rose to 4.7% in the second quarter and inflation remains high at 3.3%.
Furthermore, Australia has been recruiting and offering relocation packages in areas such as nursing, policing and teaching where they have skill shortages attracting New Zealanders, who do not need visas to work there. At the same time, the New Zealand government has undertaken a significant downsizing of the country’s public service leaving many skilled worked looking for jobs.