Long Home Affairs queues may soon be a thing of the past. The Minister of Home Affairs yesterday, 30 September 2024, unveiled a five-year strategic plan aiming to transform Home Affairs into a digital-first department over a period spanning from 2024 to 2029.
Home Affairs at your home
According to the South African Government, this initiative envisions a future where in-person visits to Home Affairs will no longer be necessary. This new approach was dubbed Home Affairs @ home and aims to ease the inconvenience of long Home Affairs queues.
In a media statement, Dr Leon Schreiber stated that the department’s vision is for all of its services to become fully automated, digitised, and available online ‘at the fingertips of our clients, from the comfort of their own homes’.
“Rather than going to Home Affairs, our vision under the Government of National Unity is to bring Home Affairs to you.”
Minister Leon Schreiber
How will this digital service work?
Routine services such as IDs, passports, and certificates will be accessible through an online, secure, biometrics-linked platform. This platform will be similar to the systems that banks and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) use. An automated system will process applications. Human intervention will only be necessary in the case of an anomaly.
Initially, approved documents will be shipped directly to clients locally and abroad. The plan is for these documents to eventually be available digitally through a secure profile or phone wallet app.
Immigration services
Travellers to South Africa will apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) via a secure online platform. Subsequently, they will submit biometrics for instant assessment. In the long run, digital codes linked to passports will replace paper visas. At entry points, travellers will scan their ETA code and also submit biometrics for verification.
How will Home Affairs ensure security?
The new digital Home Affairs system will enhance South Africa’s national security by using biometric technology to prevent identity fraud and detect fraudulent or reused documents, according to capetownetc.
Furthermore, an automated risk engine will cross-reference visa applications with domestic and international criminal databases.
Home Affairs @ home will contribute to restoring the integrity of South Africa’s national security, stated Minister Schreiber in the media statement. Using the same biometric technology that secures smartphones, online banking, and other platforms, the automated risk engine will be able to identify and prevent attempts at identity fraud.
Do you think this digital platform will work in South Africa?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article.
You can also email info@thesouthafrican.com or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
