South Africa begins work on national digital ID to stem fraud

South Africa has revealed its intention to develop a national digital identity system to provide a single, unified credential for access to government services.

The South African Reserve Bank, Revenue Service (SARS) and Department of Home Affairs are collaborating on the digital ID, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said during an annual meeting of the South African Institution of Taxation last week.

Kieswetter noted that South Africans have different numbers for their national ID, tax account, business registration, health and other services. The duplication presents an opportunity for fraud, he argues.

“I appear in the system in many different identities which allows for arbitrage — so I can be employed and get a social grant because the system doesn’t pick me up,” Kieswetter says, as quoted by Bloomberg.

He suggests a unique digital identifier and physical card are the answer to the country’s fraud issues, and a former finance minister referred to the positive example provided by India’s Aadhaar at the tax event, BusinessTech reports.

The Home Affairs Department has also announced plans to build digital transformation into its five-year strategic plan.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber foreshadowed the shift to digital and the Department’s preference for digital ID in an August interview about the country’s growing identity fraud problems.

Biometric tax filing and instant visas

SARS will now require identity verification with face biometrics for registration to file individual tax returns online, according to a separate article from BusinessTech.

Face biometrics are being implemented on the SARS eFiling website, MobiApp and self-service kiosks. The system will guide users with instructions to provide suitable selfies.

Non-citizens will still have the same process for registration, including manual verification and authentication.

SARS has admitted a growing problem with criminals hijacking people’s eFiling profiles, often carried out through voice phishing.

The Revenue Service and Home Affairs are also working on a proof of concept to adapt the technology the former uses for instant tax assessments for instant visa issuance.

Schreiber announced plans to launch online applications for Electronic Travel Authorization as part of the “Home Affairs @ Home” initiative in September.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  government services  |  identity verification  |  South Africa