Extension for bank branches offering Smart IDs and Passports in South Africa

 ·26 Sep 2023

The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that the SmartID and Passport partnerships with major South African banks will continue, with the pilot again being extended to March 2024.

The pilot project was set to come to an end on 31 March 2023, but was extended to September 2023. Days away from concluding, with no permanent agreement yet signed, Home Affairs and the participating banks have agreed to extend the project into 2024.

“The Memorandum of Understanding with the banks will be extended to 31 March 2024,” Home Affairs said, adding that Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank and Standard Bank continue to be a part of the project.

In its response, the department noted that there are 29 bank branches currently taking part in the project.

The department has counted six branches for Nedbank, but the group confirmed that it only has five branches in the pilot. The DHA has also counted five branches from Absa, but the group actually has 6 taking part.

Previously, the DHA revealed that the big hurdle for the project was service levels at the department. Because the Home Affairs branches in the banks are satellite offices, they are still operate at Home Affairs levels of service – which are notoriously poor.

The banks specifically flagged SITA and system downtime as big problems. Because the DHA offices are in branded bank branches, poor services levels may reflect poorly on the banks and cause reputational damage.

While groups like FNB, Standard Bank, Absa and Nedbank have expressed interest in expanding the Home Affairs services, the entire project rests on the pilot ending with with a positive commitment from the DHA.

Despite talking of 43 new offices being primed to open back in 2022, progress in extending the project has come to a standstill.

The last known bank branch to open for Home Affairs services was the Standard Bank, Kathu Mall branch, which opened at the end of 2022 and is still operating in a trial mode.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs has focused its service expansion to several shopping malls in the country, and bolstering its mobile unit facilities to reach more remote areas.

The total breakdown of 29 branches is as follows:

  • Standard Bank: 9
  • FNB: 7
  • Absa: 6
  • Nedbank: 5
  • Investec Bank: 1
  • Discovery Bank: 1

The details of the known bank branches can be seen below.

Standard Bank

BankAddressContact Number
Standard Bank Kathu MallShop 62 Village Walk Shopping Centre Kathu, Hendrik Van Eck Street, Postmasburg053 723 9610
Standard Bank CenturionCnr Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd Centurion Lifestyle Centre012 671 4042
Standard Bank Killarney MallKillarney Mall, Riviera Rd, Killarney, Johannesburg011 486 0002
Standard Bank Kingsmead1 Kingsmead Way, Durban031 308 7900
Standard Bank Jubilee MallShop no. 47 Jubilee Mall corner Jubliee and Harry Gwala Road Temba Hammanskraal011 351 7814
Standard Bank Canal WalkShop 599, Upper Level, Canal Walk Shopping Center, Century Blvd, Century City021 529 8216
Standard Bank Mitchell’s Plain PromenadeCorner AZ Berman Road And Morgenster Road, Mitchell’s Plain0860 123 000
Standard Bank Simmonds Street5 Simmonds St, Selby, Johannesburg.011 631 1624 / 011 639 4205
Standard Bank Newton Park1 Pickering St Newton Park Port Elizabeth041 404 8319

FNB

BankAddressContact Number
FNB BurgersfortShop 55 Twin City Complex Dirk Winterbach Street Burgersfort072 457 8619 / 013 216 0098
FNB Centurion Lifestyle CentreCnr Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Rd Centurion Lifestyle Centre Centurion066 460 0530 / 012 653 2661
FNB CornubiaShop U56, Cornubia Boulevard, Cnr N2 Highway & M41, Durban031 308 7900
FNB Glen Shopping CentreShop U2, The Glen Shopping Centre, Glenvista061 495 4441
FNB GreenpointShop 1 & 2, ERF 176300, Media Quarter, Somerset Road, Greenpoint087 345 6090
FNB LynwoodShop L04 Upper-level Cnr Simon Vermooten & Lynnwood Rd Equestria Pretoria066 460 0130
FNB Merchant Place4 Merchant Place c/o Rivonia and Freedman Dr Sandton066 290 3307

Nedbank

BankAddressContact Number
Nedbank ArcadiaShop 25, Nedbank Plaza, Beatrix Street, Arcadia066 460 0122
Nedbank Constantia Kloof16 Constantia Boulevard Constantia Kloof Roodepoort011 639 4208
Nedbank NelspruitShop 65 The Crossing Shopping Centre c/o Samora Machel and Madiba Drive Nelspruit081 336 5941
Nedbank Rivonia135 Rivonia Road, Sandown, Sandton066 290 3257
Nedbank St George’s MallShop 3 The Box, St Georges Mall c/o Riebeeck Street0800 555 111

Absa

BankAddressContact Number
Absa Centurion Lifestyle CentreShop 36 c/o Lenchen and Old Johannesburg Road Centurion Lifestyle Centre Centurion066 460 0356
Absa Key West KrugersdorpShop 80 Key West Shopping Centre cnr Paardekraal Drive and Viljoen Street Krugersdorp079 900 6457
Absa Sandton CityCnr Rivonia Road and 5th Street Sandton066 290 3314
Absa Port Elizabeth682 Cnr. Bagshaw & Govan Mbeki Avenue, Port Elizabeth041 404 8319
Absa StellenboschOude Bloemhof Building, Cnr Plein And Ryneveld Streets, Stellenbosch021 809 2311
Absa TowersCnr Commissioner And Troye Streets, Johannesburg011 350 4111

Other banks

BankAddressContact Number
Discovery Bank Head Office1 Discovery Place, c/o Rivonia Road and Katherine Street, Sandton0860 998 877
Investec Bank Sandown100 Grayston Dr Sandown Sandton011 286 7000

Read: New bank branches for Smart IDs and passports in South Africa hit a wall

Show comments
Subscribe to our daily newsletter