Home Affairs warns people with green ID books
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has warned South Africans with green ID books that they are at risk of numerous crimes and should upgrade to Smart IDs.
In October, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said green ID books are extremely vulnerable to fraud and identity theft.
Schreiber warned South Africans who still use green ID books that they are at risk of having their identities stolen.
Fraud linked to green ID books in South Africa has reached such proportions that the Department of Home Affairs had to take decisive action.
In August 2024, the department launched an initiative to reduce the number of fraudulent documents in circulation and cancel IDs held by unauthorised persons.
The main problem with the 16-page barcoded green ID book is that the security features did not keep track of technological advances used by criminals.
Green ID books were launched in 1980 and, at the time, provided citizens and the government with a system which served them well.
However, times changed. Green ID books do not have sufficient security features to stop criminals from cloning them and stealing people’s identities.
It allows criminals to hijack people’s ID numbers and use fake green ID books to access credit, loans, and other financially compromising services.
Tertius Wait, a cloud engineer at iiDENTIFii, explained that green ID books are susceptible to physical damage and can be compromised through general wear and tear.
“This fragility presents severe security risks, as damaged ID books can be easily altered or forged, making them unreliable for secure identification,” he said.
The green ID book is also impractical and inefficient. It requires in-person validation and is very difficult to integrate into digital verification systems.
The problem is clearly illustrated in Smile ID’s 2024 Digital Identity Fraud in Africa report, which looks at the trends related to fraud on the continent.
The report found that South Africa’s green ID books are the most attacked ID documents across Africa.
Green ID books have a fraud rate of 34%, much higher than driver’s licenses at 14% and National IDs at 7%.
Move to Smart IDs
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza said it was important for South Africa to become a ‘digital office’ to root out fraud and corruption.
He said an important aspect of digitisation is eliminating green barcoded ID books and moving people to Smart ID cards.
“With the Smart ID, it is very difficult to duplicate someone’s ID. That is why we are migrating everyone to a Smart ID card and phasing out the green ID books,” he said.
The Smart ID cards include a chip storing the holder’s data, which is laser-engraved to prevent tampering.
The card’s biometric features ensure that the person presenting the ID is indeed the rightful owner, significantly reducing the risk of identity fraud.
This also enables it to be incorporated into digital verification systems and, in some cases, eliminate the need for in-person validation.
Smart ID cards are also much more durable and resistant to tampering or forgery than the barcoded green ID book.
So far, only 26 million Smart ID cards have been issued against a target of 38 million in the past 11 years.
Schreiber has launched numerous initiatives to facilitate the transition from green ID books to smart ID cards.
One of these is deploying 227 mobile units with the same capabilities to extend these services to underserved areas.
It is also working on other ways to fast-track the migration from green ID books to smart IDs, including partnering with banks.
There are currently 30 bank branches where people can get smart IDs, with more in the pipeline. It will also expand into shopping malls.
The department further revealed that it is investigating the rollout of ATM-like kiosks that will enable self-service document re-issuance.
Loading ...
