South Africa plans Intelligent Population Register in proposed civil registration reform

The government of South Africa intends to modernize its National Population Register by putting in place what it describes as “a modern, digitally enabled Intelligent Population Register (IPR)” to serve as the basis for a new digital identity dispensation.

This proposal is outlined in a draft revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection published in the government gazette at the close of last week by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

In a statement announcing the white paper, the minister’s spokesperson said the draft revised document is open for public input between December 12 and January 31, 2026.

A nationwide campaign is also expected to be organized between January 15 and 30 in all of the country’s nine provinces to engage government departments, Chapter 9 institutions, business, labour, academia, civil society, and multilateral organizations, on the proposed changes.

Speaking further about the civil registration changes, Homes Affairs cites advantages of the IPR over the ordinary system currently in place, saying it will make use of “advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, biometrics, interoperability and real-time data integration, to improve governance, integrated service delivery, and national planning.”

As part of the envisaged IPR system, the government intends to make birth and death registration mandatory through the use of digital channels for citizens as well as legal residents in the country.

The department notes that details about the major elements and functionality of the IPR will be outlined in a different digital ID policy document which it is preparing. Schreiber said early this year that South Africa is hoping to have a fully-functional digital ID system before the country holds its national elections in 2029.

In addition to civil registration reforms, the Home Affairs white paper also introduces changes to refugee management which tightens asylum rules, as well as the granting of South African citizenship. For citizenship, the country wants to put in place a system where naturalization will henceforth happen on “merit-based criteria” which means that citizenship will no longer be granted to individuals “solely on the number of years a foreigner has resided in the country.”

The white paper also suggests reforms to the country’ immigration policy with the introduction of “merit-based points-based system for certain visas and permanent residency.” It will also see the rollout of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which will record the biometrics of all foreigners who enter South Africa.

These reforms, Home Affairs says, are intended to “clamp down on fraud and abuse, enhance national security, improve service delivery, and promote economic development.” The department requested $618 million as budget for the 2025/2026 fiscal year.

South Africa is implementing a digital transformation agenda under the MyMzansi DPI roadmap which intends to remodel how public services are delivered across several sectors.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil registration  |  digital ID  |  Intelligent Population Register  |  national ID  |  South Africa