Home Affairs
By Mpho Moloi
The Department of Home Affairs has announced a comprehensive upgrade to its digital verification system, a pivotal component of South Africa’s national security infrastructure and a facilitator for both public and private sector services. This enhancement aims to bolster the accuracy and speed of identity verifications, thereby improving service delivery across various sectors.
Enhancements to the Verification System
The digital verification system enables government departments, including the National Treasury and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as well as financial institutions, to authenticate client identities using biometric features such as fingerprints and facial recognition against the National Population Register. In recent years, the system has been plagued by inefficiencies, with users reporting a failure rate of up to 50% on verification attempts. Additionally, response times often extended up to 24 hours, and errors necessitated manual verification.
Over the past few months, the Department of Home Affairs has addressed these issues. Testing has confirmed that the upgraded system now delivers dramatically faster performance, with an error rate of well below 1%. The department is prepared to roll out access to the enhanced verification service to all clients across the public and private sectors.
Revised Fee Structure for Private Sector Users
To ensure the ongoing maintenance of this improved system, and following concurrence from the Minister of Finance, Home Affairs Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber has gazetted a new set of fees associated with the use of this verification service. Effective from 1 April 2025, fees for private sector companies will increase for the first time in over a decade. However, public sector users, including numerous government departments and agencies, will remain exempt from these fees. This approach enables the department to balance the need to invest in the National Population Register while not negatively affecting public finances.
Implications for Service Delivery and Economic Growth
Minister Schreiber emphasized that the rollout of a reliable, efficient, and secure verification service supports both the public and private sectors in improving service delivery. He stated, “This marks the most significant upgrade to the Home Affairs verification service since it was launched and will dramatically reduce waiting times whenever a client needs to verify their identity with the Department to obtain a social grant or open a bank account.” The upgrade is also expected to support private sector economic growth. Schreiber noted that when this vital system is down, slow, or riddled with errors, it negatively impacts the ability of banks, insurance companies, and other financial service providers to verify clients and conduct business.
Alignment with Digital Transformation Initiatives
This investment in the population register is not only overdue but also crucial for delivering on the vision for digital ID, as outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address. A secure and efficient population register forms the cornerstone of digital ID. The launch of the reformed verification system is further proof of the progress that Home Affairs is making on its journey of digital transformation to deliver dignity for all.
Future Prospects
The Department of Home Affairs is committed to continuous improvement and modernization of its services. The successful upgrade of the digital verification system is a significant milestone in this journey. As the department continues to embrace digital transformation, citizens and businesses alike can look forward to more efficient, secure, and reliable services that meet the demands of a modern society.
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