President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government will implement a new digital identity system supported by enhanced digital public infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa shared information about the new ID system during his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on 6 February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will invest in digital public infrastructure to give South Africans access to government services anytime, anywhere, through a relaunched gov.za platform,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that at the heart of this transformation will be the implementation of a digital identity system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese measures will transform the relationship between citizens and government and create one government accessible to every person at a touch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new digital identity system is a collaborative project between the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the SA Reserve Bank, and the Department of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter previously explained that every citizen will get a single, unique digital identifier (UDI) and an accompanying card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any transaction with the government could be attached to the UID to ensure that the various government branches could know exactly who they were dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Identities can be authenticated with fingerprints. Once authenticated, things like state subsidies can be transferred directly to a bank account linked to the ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new digital ID system will have significant benefits for the South African Revenue Service, Kieswetter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africans currently have numerous unique identifiers, including an ID number and a tax number, one for registering a company and another for being a hospital patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI appear in the system in many different identities which allows for arbitrage, so I can be employed and get a social grant because the system doesn\u2019t pick me up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kieswetter said that the current system, with various platforms having their own identifiers, creates multiple opportunities for corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that having a single, unique digital identifier and an accompanying card would remove many of these risks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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