Entering the digital age, is Home Affairs ready to go online?

Lester Kiewit speaks to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber about his five-year plan to digitise their services.

Listen below

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A 'digital first' Department of Home Affairs?

In theory, it sounds good. There's likely not a South African in the country who wouldn't rejoice at no longer having to stand in lengthy queues at Home Affairs offices, often for hours at a time.

And yet, most South Africans will also no doubt have at least one Home Affairs horror story which leads them to cast doubt on the feasibility of the digital transformation of the department. 

The man in charge of the department has announced an ambitious plan, to be implemented over 5 years, to digitise the Department of Home Affairs.

Leon Scrieber says he's confident it will work.

" It's definitely feasible because it's happening all around the world and we've got examples right here in South Africa about how this can be done...[for example] The revenue service has gone through this transformation."

Leon Schreiber, Minister - Department of Home Affairs

Schreiber admits that digital transformation is an area his department has 'fallen behind on' and says the proposed changes won't happen overnight.

"If you just go to a Home Affairs office and see the amount of paperwork still involved in the process, then you will understand that we've got an urgent need for digital transformation."

Leon Schreiber, Minister - Department of Home Affairs

And customer convenience is not the only reason the system needs to be updated, explains Schreiber.

"Our national security is at stake when we continue to use these manual, paper-based processes, that are extremely vulnerable to human interference."

Leon Schreiber, Minister - Department of Home Affairs

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