“System Will Be Offline”: SA Divided Over New Home Affairs Devices to Catch Illegal Foreigners

• Home Affairs wants to buy 600 handheld devices to scan foreign nationals across South Africa in real time
• The gadgets will check fingerprints and facial photos against the department’s database while officials are out in the field
• South Africans reacted with mixed feelings online, some questioning the cost while others welcomed the move

The Department of Home Affairs has issued a tender for handheld devices built to scan and identify illegal foreign nationals across South Africa in real time. Officials will use the gadgets to check a person’s fingerprints and face against departmental records while working in the field. The plan forms part of a wider push to speed up arrests and deportations of people without valid documents.

How the new system will work

According to a report by MyBroadband, Home Affairs said the devices will support a new Biometric Case Management System built specifically for this purpose. The system will let officials confirm someone’s immigration status without relying on paperwork that can be forged.

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Minister Leon Schreiber said earlier this year that the technology would allow instant checks on suspected undocumented foreigners. He explained that officers would gain remote access to Home Affairs systems straight from the field.

Each device must scan all ten fingerprints and match them against records within seconds. The gadgets will also come with cameras that meet international identification standards. Home Affairs wants the devices to run on Android, carry SIM and SD card slots, and last at least eight hours per charge. They must also be rugged enough to survive daily use outdoors.

The department reportedly used similar biometric scanning during an operation in Cape Town last year. That operation led to the arrest of 25 suspected undocumented foreign nationals in one sweep. Home Affairs said this kind of technology strengthens legal cases against suspects.

News of the plan has sparked debate among South Africans online. Some questioned whether the system would actually work as promised. Others raised concerns about digital identity tracking, while some fully supported the department’s efforts.

See the reactions below:

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• March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has confirmed that there will be more marches scheduled across South Africa.
• Over 900 arrests occurred nationwide during anti-foreigner protests, led mainly by the Western Cape region.
• Tensions escalated during anti-illegal immigration protests in parts of Germiston and Johannesburg, with police forced to intervene as crowds gathered in volatile conditions.

Source: Briefly News