South Africa ramps up ID cards, passports collection ahead of biometric voter registration

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) of South Africa has increased the number of working hours during two November weekends to enable many more citizens collect their national ID cards and passports. The move comes ahead of a nationwide biometric voter registration exercise in prelude to national and provincial elections next year.

In a statement, the DHA said ID card collection offices will remain open for five additional hours on November 4 and 11 to allow potential registrants collect their ID documents, ECR reports.

The registration exercise is programmed for the weekend of November 18-19 by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).

DHA Spokesman Siya Qoza is quoted as saying that dedicated counters have been set up in ID card and passport offices with space to accommodate them, to facilitate the collection process by reducing the possibility of queues and other procedural delays.

Qoza informed citizens that there is also a platform on the Home Affairs website dubbed Branch Appointment Booking System through which they can book an appointment.

Those who cannot book appointments will nonetheless be assisted by staff when they show up to collect their ID documents, said Qoza, adding that ID offices will also remain open for latecomers during the weekend reserved for the voter registration activity.

The DHA says it will serve citizens showing up to collect ID cards and passports, and those wishing to apply for Temporary Identification Certificates, a credential also accepted for voter registration.

Meanwhile, as the voter registration weekend draws closer, the IEC has been urging citizens to use the digital voter registration platform established in 2021.

The idea, the electoral agency says, is to quicken the process and reduce queues at physical offices, Mail and Guardian reports.

The outlet quotes an IEC official Granville Abrahams as explaining that the online registration platform was introduced as a way of facilitating voter registration, especially among the younger section of the population, and to make it easier for first-timers to get enrolled on the voter’s register.

Explaining further, Abrahams said the online registration portal, which works round the clock, can be used by entering a one-time PIN code and uploading a properly scanned ID document of the registrant.

Apart from those registering for the first time, the online portal can also be used by old registrants who want to update their details on the IEB database.

The online voter registration platform recorded 106,000 visitors in October, which marks a considerable increase from 70,000 users in August, according the IEC official.

Online voter registration is increasingly becoming a common service. Nigeria’s electoral agency INEC highly encouraged online participation in the buildup to the country’s general elections held early this year.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  document verification  |  selfie biometrics  |  South Africa  |  voter registration