'Historic victory': Minister hands over first smart ID with traditional Khoisan name

In a groundbreaking move, the Department of Home Affairs is recognising Khoisan traditional names on official documents.

Minister Leon Schreiber handed over the first such smart identity document this week, following upgrades to departmental IT systems.

In a Facebook post, Schreiber relates how he first came to hear of !Khūboab Lawrence, who could not get an ID because outdated systems could not process all the characters used in his name.

The family of the first-year Stellenbosch University student had the same problem over 18 years ago when they were unable to obtain a birth certificate that accurately reflected the spelling of his first name.

Through the intervention of the Minister, the department says it prioritised the matter and managed to identify the root of the problem as a technical IT limitation related to the use of so-called “special characters.”

In less than four weeks, the necessary upgrades were implemented to enable the use of traditional Khoisan names on birth certificates, smart IDs and passports for the first time in South African history.

Handing the document to a smiling Lawrence, Schreiber described this as "a historic victory for the inclusion, equality and dignity of Khoisan communities".

“South Africa’s national motto uses these same characters when it implores: !ke e: /xarra //ke, literally meaning 'diverse people unite'. For the first time, this motto has now found expression at Home Affairs for the Khoi-San community. This reform offers the latest powerful demonstration of how our reform drive towards digital transformation is delivering dignity for all.”

Home Affairs says its technical team is on stand-by to effect further upgrades if additional “special characters” need to be adjusted.