HOME Affairs announces partnership with banks.
The department's partnership with Capitec Bank and First National Bank (FNB) will allow Mzansi citizens to apply for smart IDs and passports directly through their banking applications, marking the first time such services will be available via mobile banking platforms.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced on Monday, 11 August that the two financial institutions are the first to be selected for the department's new digital partnership model, which forms part of an ambitious plan to expand Home Affairs services to 1 000 bank branches across the country by 2029.
"The newly introduced initiative marks the beginning of the end for long travelling distances to reach Home Affairs services, for long queues and for the green ID book with its unacceptable vulnerability to fraud and identity theft," said the department.
The collaboration builds on a relationship spanning more than a decade, which previously enabled smart ID and passport services at only 30 branches across five different banks.
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"That original model relied on the costly duplication of Home Affairs staff and hardware inside bank branches and failed to take advantage of technology to dramatically expand services into all rural and urban areas where bank branches already exist, as well as onto secure banking apps that have come to be widely used across society," explained Home Affairs.
The digital partnership model will enable smart ID and passport services through banking applications while facilitating applications at hundreds of additional bank branches across both urban and rural areas, supporting Cabinet's Medium-Term Development Plan mandate.
This initiative aligns with Schreiber's five-year strategic vision to transform Home Affairs into a fully digital service provider.
While several banks have already integrated certain government services into their applications, including smart ID collection and Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) driver's licece booking, this marks the first time complete ID and passport applications will be available through banking apps.
Director-general Tommy Makhode has extended invitations to additional major financial institutions including Absa, African Bank, Tyme Bank, Discovery Bank, Investec Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank to join the initiative.
Home Affairs is scheduled to host press conferences at Capitec's Stellenbosch offices on Tuesday, 12 August and at FNB's Cape Town office on Wednesday, 13 August to provide additional details about the new programme.
