SA smart ID card cost unknown
With the first batch of smart ID cards set for release on 18 July, on Mandela Day, The Department of Home Affairs is still undecided on how much it will cost South Africans.
On Thursday (4 July), Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor announced that the smart cards would be issued to individuals including President Jacob Zuma, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and former president Thabo Mbeki.
The new ID card would replace the current green book, and include fingerprint biometrics and biographic data security features, embedded on the 80 kilobytes card chip.
“Personalisation with laser engraving of demographic details and photographs makes the new card extremely difficult to forge or tamper with,” Pandor said.
When BusinessTech contacted the Department of Home Affairs, a spokesperson said it was undecided how much the card will cost.
Pandor said in May that the new ID card would cost the same amount as the green bar-coded ID, at R140. IDs are free for first time applicants.
However, Pandor said on Thursday that the department was undecided on the charge amount.
“We are in the process of discussing how much it will cost,” a spokesperson for the group said. “When we have concluded these discussions, we will make a further announcement.”
The spokesperson said that, from August, there would be three offices, one in Cape Town and two in Guateng, from which the cards will initially be made available. By the end of August, it would be introduced at 27 Home Affairs offices across the country, in three offices in each province.
“In terms of delivery to the broader public, we will announce our plans soon. We will start with young South Africans as first-time applicants for identity documents, as well as senior citizens. In order to avoid a rush, applicants will be invited to our offices in stages, according to their dates of birth,” Pandor said.
“We must stress that it will take between six and eight years before all South Africans have Smart ID Cards. We appeal to everyone to be patient and to allow us to phase in this change efficiently. We will work hard to expand the number of offices able to process applications for the Smart ID Card.”
Pandor said applicants would be invited to home affairs offices in stages, according to their age so as to avoid a rush.
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