GEORGE NEWS - Green barcoded ID books are still being issued by certain "non-modernised" offices of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) that do not have the required systems to issue smart ID cards.

This is despite the department's aim to phase out barcoded ID books within a few years from the rollout of the smart ID card in 2013.

There are efforts to accelerate the process. In its annual performance plan for 2024/2025 the DHA says it is planning on deploying self-service machines or kiosks that should enable non-modernised offices to also issue smart ID cards.

Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs up to the announcement of the new cabinet on Sunday 31 May, alluded to these efforts when he spoke to the eNCA television channel last week, indicating that an announcement on retaining only one identification system will be made "very soon". 

He said the department has been working with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) over the past 18 months to change its IT systems, that are "problematic" and are leading to lots of queues. Motsoaledi said the dual ID system has been used for "long enough".

In its performance plan, the DHA states that an accelerated rollout of the smart ID card is one of its priorities. More than 2,6 million smart ID cards were issued in the 2022/2023 financial year against a target of 2,2 million. Since inception, more than 21 million cards have been issued.

A total of 101 683 barcoded ID books (first issues) and 66 274 (re-issues) were issued in the 2022/23 financial year, according to the performance plan.

It says the self-service machines will enable eligible citizens to apply for the smart ID card as well as passports and for the reprint of birth, marriage and death certificates.

"These kiosks will be deployed in non-modernised offices that currently provide only green bar-coded IDs to ensure an alternative channel for the application of smart ID cards for communities living near non-modernised offices. Kiosks will eventually also be deployed in modernised offices to address overcrowding and long queues in over-burdened offices," says the DHA.

During the 2022/23 financial year, system-related issues resulted in production loss of around 41 691 hours and the potential loss of 359 625 smart ID card applications. "The situation was exacerbated by the potential loss of around 65 024 smart ID cards due to load shedding and 7 253 due to water outages," it says.

George Herald's enquiries to the DHA's communications section regarding the situation have so far gone unanswered.

The Smart ID contains a number of security features, among which the hidden fingerprints of the card owner, which makes fraud more difficult than with the green barcoded ID book.