DocumentOngoingNews

Home Affairs Issues 10 Million Smart Id Cards

GCIS / SAnewsRef: https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/home-affairs-issues-10-million-smart-id-cards

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 SAnews article reports that South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, led by Minister Malusi Gigaba, handed over the 10th million smart ID card on 16 May 2018. It states that 184 of the department’s 411 front offices are live capture sites for smart card and passport applications, while 227 still need modernisation, with plans to modernise more during the 2018/19 financial year. The article also mentions planned partnerships (with banks and with SITA and Dimension Data) to expand issuance points and reduce network downtime, plus refurbishing 78 mobile units with live capture functionality.

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Read out of this document by Govermate's AI, in its own words. Each one quotes the line it came from — confirm on the official source before acting.

government identity document issuanceOngoing

Smart ID Card Issuance at 184 Live Capture Front Offices

South African citizens can apply for a smart ID card at any of the 184 Department of Home Affairs front offices that have live capture technology. These offices process applications for both smart ID cards and passports.

Who it is for: all South African citizens
How to act on it: Visit one of the 184 live capture front offices and submit application in person

Show the line this came from

Of the department’s 411 front offices, 184 are on live capture, which processes applications for smart cards and passports.

Facts

Reference

https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/home-affairs-issues-10-million-smart-id-cards

Key Takeaways

Date: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Event: Home Affairs handed over the 10th million smart ID card
Minister: Malusi Gigaba
Smart ID cards issued: 10 million (milestone reached)
Front offices: 411 total; 184 on live capture; 227 not yet modernised
Average capacity: 84 applications per day per digital application counter
Modernisation: more offices to be modernised in 2018/19 financial year
Planned bank partnership to increase smart card/passport issuance branches
Banks mentioned: ABSA, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank (encouraged to apply online)
Planned tripartite agreement: SITA and Dimension Data to improve uninterrupted network connectivity
Capacity expansion: refurbishing 78 mobile units with live capture functionality
Target users for mobile units: elderly and first-time applicants
Digital future initiatives: integrated multi-modal biometric system; digitising 900 million records; digitising birth records with Statistics SA
Cabinet approval (2017): White Paper on International Migration; amending immigration and refugee legislation
Department of Home Affairs
Malusi Gigaba
SAnews
Parliament
State Information Technology Agency (SITA)
Dimension Data
ABSA
FNB
Nedbank
Standard Bank
Statistics SA
Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre
Cabinet
Statistics South Africa (Statistics SA)