South Africans eligible for a new Smart ID card will be able to\u00a0apply online from 7 April 2016, a spokesperson has told MyBroadband.<\/p>\n
Those who wish to apply will be able to do so\u00a0using\u00a0the new e-Channel portal<\/a><\/strong> on the Home Affairs website.<\/p>\n Home Affairs first announced the e-Channel portal<\/strong><\/a> in 2015, saying it planned to trial the system with banks.<\/p>\n \u201cConsolidating the restoration of national identity, citizenship, and dignity to all South Africans,\u201d is Home Affairs\u2019 mission with\u00a0the Smart ID and eChannel.<\/p>\n According to the department, the portal lets citizens:<\/p>\n Around 140 Home Affairs offices<\/strong><\/a> around the country are set up to issue Smart IDs.<\/p>\n While the portal will allow citizens to submit most documentation online, a visit to a Home Affairs office is needed to submit required\u00a0photos and fingerprints.<\/p>\n The department promised it is also making long queues at its offices a thing of the past.<\/p>\n Our tests of the new e-Channel portal in March<\/strong><\/a> revealed that\u00a0it still has a few bugs\u00a0that have to be worked out.<\/p>\n One time\u00a0PINs\u00a0sent to the cellphone number you\u00a0specify when you register for an account on the portal took\u00a0awhile to deliver.<\/p>\n It also didn\u2019t\u00a0work in Google\u2019s Chrome browser or on Firefox in Ubuntu, both of which give the following worrying error:<\/p>\n \u201cA secure connection cannot be established because this site uses an unsupported protocol or cipher suite. This is likely to be caused when the server needs RC4, which is no longer considered secure.\u201d<\/p>\n Firefox for Windows and Mac did\u00a0not give the error, but warned\u00a0that the connection to the eChannel portal is potentially insecure.<\/p>\n The Department of Home Affairs has sent out invitations to the e-Channel launch,\u00a0to be held at Gallagher Estate.<\/p>\n While the event is scheduled to begin at 09:30 on Thursday, 7 April 2016, the department\u00a0has not confirmed the exact launch time of the e-Channel portal launch.<\/p>\n South African Smart ID applications head online<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Absa now supports smart ID applications at its branches<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Smart ID applications open to everyone in Joburg<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Big bugs had\u00a0to be squashed<\/h3>\n
Launch date<\/h3>\n
More on Smart ID<\/h3>\n