South Africa gazettes digital ID draft regulation, seeks comments

South Africans have up to June 6 to submit comments on draft amendments to the country’s Identification Act of 1997 which aims to pave the way for the launch of a much-heralded national digital ID system.

A Home Affairs announcement issued on May 5 said the draft regulatory framework will usher in a digital ID to complement the existing physical identification like the Smart ID whose adoption has continued to grow thanks to a new partnership model with Banks.

Per the Home Affairs, the novelty will include a digital wallet that “will enable citizens to store, access and utilize secure digital versions of their identity document, birth certificate, marriage certificate and other Home Affairs products directly on their smartphone.”

Also, the system will “introduce the ability for users to remotely confirm their identity using biometric verification,” and the digital ID shall not be compulsory.

Among other things, Home Affairs said the draft text makes digital ID credentials as a valid form of identification, outlines biometric registration and interoperability modalities, introduces stringent data and privacy safeguards, and strengthens the integrity of the population register.

Digital ID will drive ‘Home Affairs @ Home’ vision

In his remarks about the draft regulation, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber noted its importance of the upcoming digital ID, which he said is vital in the realization of the “Home Affairs @ Home” concept. It shall have a five-year validity, and can be obtained through the MyMzansi app, Business Tech reports.

“This system can greatly enhance our ability to combat identity theft, financial crimes, corruption and illegal immigration, while delivering efficient services to citizens in the comfort of their own homes and improving privacy protections and data management,” Schreiber said.

He added: “We are already working closely with a number of partners in government, including the Presidency, to ensure that the foundational system we are building supports the Digital Transformation Roadmap’s goal of digitalizing government services. Technical work is well underway, and the finalization of these regulations will enable us to complete our digital service delivery revolution by bringing services right onto your smart device.”

The comments, which are expected in written form from different stakeholders, will be useful in refining the gazetted draft legislation for eventual promulgation.

South Africa now appears to be accelerating efforts regarding the digital ID project after authorities were called out for being behind schedule. In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa restated the importance of the digital ID, vowing that its launch would happen before the end of this year.

The expected digital ID system is part of the MyMzansi digital public infrastructure roadmap which outlines South Africa’s digital transformation priorities for the next five years. The roadmap seeks to revolutionise how citizens get access to services in the public and private sectors.

Fragmented frameworks

Comments on the gazetted draft text come as an essay has criticized South Africa’s disjointed national identity regulatory and governance frameworks, citing consequences it has had on citizens.

Per the publication by Polity, this fragmentation which is at the legal, institutional and technical levels, has led to concerns about how citizens’ personal data is managed. As an example, it mentions four major policy instruments which show inconsistent approaches to the way the government handles data governance.

To fix the challenge, the writer highlights the need for a coordinating governance layer and believes the country can draw lessons from Estonia and the European Union where there is coherence at different levels.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  identity management  |  legislation  |  national ID  |  South Africa