'Green ID book will NOT be expiring this year' – Leon Schreiber, Home Affairs Minister
Leon Schreiber explains that some Home Affairs offices still lack the capability to issue Smart ID cards.
About 700,000 IDs have been blocked by the Department of Home Affairs without due process. Picture: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
Pippa Hudson interviews Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs.
Listen below.
There has been some confusion regarding the government's initiative to replace the old green bar-coded ID books with Smart ID cards.
Earlier this year, former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced that the old green ID books would soon be phased out.
However, this statement was later contradicted by Thulani Mavuso, the Deputy Director General at the Department of Home Affairs, who denied the claim.
Schreiber clarifies that the transition to Smart ID cards began in 2013 as a planned replacement for the green ID books, with the goal of providing a more secure form of identification for all South Africans.
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Despite this, the rollout has been slower than anticipated, and some Home Affairs offices still lack the capability to issue Smart ID cards, he says.
"It would be completely unfair of us to say that people who are unable to obtain the Smart ID's in some localities would be forced then away from the green ID book."
- Leon Schreiber, Minister – Home Affairs
Schreiber emphasises that their immediate priority is to streamline operations and ensure that all facilities can issue Smart ID cards.
Only after achieving this, will they consider phasing out the green ID books.
In the meantime, he assures that the green ID books will remain valid throughout this year.
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