“Not Changing My Green Book”: Mzansi React as Home Affairs Launches New Online Smart ID Tool
- Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber unveiled a new online tool to help South Africans locate bank branches offering Smart ID services
- The Digital Partnership programme has grown to 372 participating bank branches, with over 500,000 Smart IDs issued since March 2026
- Mzansi online had mixed feelings about the new tool, with some questioning the Smart ID and others asking where to find it
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Source: UGC
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber launched a new online service on 4 August 2026. The tool helps South Africans find their nearest bank branch where they can apply for a Smart ID Card. The announcement was made at the Home Affairs Digital Partnership media event with FNB at Canal Walk in Cape Town.
The platform, hosted on the Department of Home Affairs’ website, gives citizens instant access to a list of participating bank branches. The department said the directory will be updated in real time as more banking partners join the programme.
South Africans can now choose from 372 branches across the country offering Smart ID services through the banking sector partnership. Since the programme launched on 9 March 2026, more than 500,000 people have applied for their Smart ID Cards through this route.
Schreiber pushes South Africans to drop the green book
According to a report by IOL News, Schreiber described the half a million applications through banking partners as proof that the strategy is working, saying it has “never been easier” to make the switch.
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The minister called on citizens still holding the green barcoded ID book to make the switch, warning that the older document poses serious risks around fraud and identity theft.
See the report on the Facebook post below:
Mzansi reacts to the Smart ID tool
South Africans responding to the announcement on Facebook were far from unanimous in their enthusiasm:
@Cindy Spies asked:
“On what site is the online tool? Home affairs?”
@Sabelo A Mbeje wrote:
“I’m not changing my green book ID until the last day when they tell me it’s no longer working”
@Steven Grobbelaar questioned:
“And what about fingerprints”
More articles about Smart IDs
- Home Affairs is expanding its Smart ID partnership with South African banks, with 500 more branches expected to offer services by the end of the year.
- Absa Bank joined a growing list of South African banks now offering Home Affairs Smart ID and passport application services.
- Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed in an interview that Smart ID cards and passports could soon be delivered straight to South African homes.
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Source: Briefly News
