Home Affairs plans to go ‘paperless’ in South Africa

Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi says that his department is working on a number of tech-focused features, with plans to take some services digital – according to a recent article in Business Tech.

Answering in a recent written parliamentary Q&A, Motsoaledi said that the department will also introduce a number of changes which are aimed at increased identity security for citizens:

• A partnership with the Department of Health (DoH) will ensure that each child is allocated with a birth certificate on the spot, by registering birth at health facilities. This will curb identity theft, as an ID number gets allocated and remains with the child for life.
• “Live capture” will help identify applicants through online verification which has a direct interface with the Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS) to identify persons through biometrics
• During the collection of smart identity cards, online verification is also performed to ensure that the correct enabling document is handed over to the appropriate clients.
• Enhanced security features for South African Smart ID card and passports
• All users responsible for registering and capturing births and identity-related applications within the organisation are assigned with biometric fingerprint authentication, to detect and hold users accountable for fraudulent activities.
• The department is moving from a paper-based model to a paperless model, for reasons of increased security.