South African banks plan more branches to expand digital ID services access

Banks in South Africa say they plan to open more branches this year in order to facilitate access to Home Affairs services for those seeking to establish a smart ID card.

The Department of Home Affairs has been leading a program to transition from old barcoded green identity booklets to a new biometric ID (smart ID) system. It is a move that aligns with the country’s digitization process and aims to provide better ID services for citizens.

Over the years, citizens have complained about facing hassle in obtaining the smart ID, with many of them blaming the situation on what they say are the inefficiencies of Home Affairs.

According to Business Tech, banks, have in the face of the growing challenges, taken the resolve to step up their support for Home Affairs in the issuance of the smart IDs.

Already, there are more than 30 banks in South Africa that offer ID services, but many of major banking institutions say they look forward to opening more branches in the course of 2025 so as to ease ID obtention.

The challenges notwithstanding, Home Affairs has been emphasizing the importance of obtaining the smart ID card, saying its high-level security features put it above the green booklets which have been the official ID document in the country for about 40 years. The booklets are said to be highly vulnerable to identity fraud.

The plan by the big South African banks to open more branches that offer smart ID services is in tandem with a budget plan announced by the government itself last year. They banks say the main objective is help reduce the number of citizens queuing up at traditional Home Affairs ID registration offices, something that has become a common currency in recent times.

Last year, Home Affairs had signalled a plan to issue a minimum of 2.5 million smart ID cards within the framework of its 2025 budget spending. It said then that it will also take measures to ensure that many more ID registration centers are opened across the country to facilitate enrollment for the biometric smart ID.

The issuance of the smart ID is part of plans by Home Affairs to digitize all its services including application processes for ID documents like ID cards and passports.

Home Affairs has not stated a precise timeline for the switch from green booklets to smart IDs, but it expected that the process may be completed in the next couple of years.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  South Africa