South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has declared war on the outdated barcoded green ID book, viewing its elimination as critical to curbing fraud and corruption. In a briefing to the parliamentary portfolio committee on October 29th, Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza emphasized the department's drive to transform itself into a "digital office"—an evolution aimed at reducing the scope for fraudulent activities, particularly those that facilitate the unlawful acquisition of South African citizenship. These abuses have weakened the integrity of essential documents, including the national ID.

"Corruption is a constantly shifting threat," the department noted, emphasizing that its counter-corruption programme has recently been reinforced to match the resourcefulness of criminal networks. "As criminals advance, so must we," it stated, underlining the department’s renewed zero-tolerance approach.

A major step toward a digital Home Affairs office will involve phasing out the green ID book, with digitisation now well underway. Millions of paper records have already been digitized, yet the barcoded ID book continues to pose a significant hurdle. “Eliminating it is essential,” said Nzuza, who noted that fraudsters’ access to paper-based documents costs the state dearly in manipulated systems and false claims.

To accelerate the shift, Home Affairs is prioritizing the rollout of Smart ID cards. Of the department’s 323 offices nationwide, 208 currently support "live capture" for these IDs and passports. Supplementing this, the department has deployed 227 mobile units to underserved areas and enabled smart ID services in over 30 bank branches, with plans for further expansion into shopping malls. This year, Home Affairs aims to issue 2.5 million Smart ID cards.

Under Minister Leon Schreiber’s new strategic vision, Home Affairs will pursue a "digital-first" approach through 2029. This includes making services available via apps and self-service kiosks, which would enable clients to renew documents without visiting a Home Affairs office. In the future, once systems are stabilised, the department may introduce premium services for expedited requests.

Looking ahead, Home Affairs is exploring ATM-style kiosks for document reissuance, a measure it hopes will bring the department closer to a seamless, paperless operation. The end goal is ambitious but clear: to transition from a paper-based legacy system to a modern digital platform that resists fraud and serves South Africans with greater efficiency.

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