DocumentOngoingNews

New Home Affairs System Faster Innovative

GCIS / SAnewsRef: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/new-home-affairs-system-faster-innovative

Official source

Source domain: sanews.gov.za

Collected on 28 July 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

What this means

This is a SAnews.gov.za news article dated 16 May 2018 reporting on the launch of South Africa’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba. The article says ABIS will integrate biometric authentication across state institutions and private sector clients, replacing the outdated Home Affairs National Identity System (HANIS) and addressing the risk of collapse of its 20+ year-old biometrics database. It also states ABIS will be rolled out in phases over five years, with benefits including faster ID/passport processing, reduced duplicate identities, improved bank verification, better port-of-entry traveller verification, and enhanced police suspect matching and border control.

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national identity and security systemOngoing

Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS)

A new national biometric system being rolled out by the Department of Home Affairs to replace the outdated HANIS. It will provide a single source for biometric authentication across state institutions and private sector clients, enabling faster processing of ID documents and passports, reducing duplicate identities, improving bank verification, enhancing port-of-entry checks, supporting police suspect matching, and strengthening border control.

Who it is for: citizens of South Africa, non-citizens, state institutions, private sector clients, banks, tourism sector operators, South African Police Service, border control officials
How to act on it: No direct application or registration required; the system is being implemented by the Department of Home Affairs through phased rollout and data migration from HANIS.

Facts

Places

City of Cape Town, Western Cape

Reference

https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/new-home-affairs-system-faster-innovative

Key Takeaways

Document date: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Launched at: Taj Hotel, Cape Town
Project: Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS)
Minister: Malusi Gigaba
ABIS aims to replace HANIS (manually operated and out-dated)
ABIS initiated: January 2016
Roll-out: phased over a five-year period
HANIS migration: fingerprints and facial recognition to ABIS
Partnership: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for specifications
Procurement: State Information Technology Agency (SITA) involved
Contractor: EOH contracted to deliver the system
Benefits claimed: faster ID/passport turnaround, fewer duplicate identities, improved bank verification, quicker port-of-entry verification, SAPS latent print matching, improved border control
Malusi Gigaba
Department of Home Affairs
Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS)
Home Affairs National Identity System (HANIS)
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
State Information Technology Agency (SITA)
EOH
South African Police Service (SAPS)
SAnews.gov.za
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)