Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber says the successful implementation of Home Affairs’ digital vision has the potential to revolutionise government in South Africa.
“Both public and private sector services that extend well beyond the immediate mandate of Home Affairs are entirely dependent on database management within this department,” Schreiber said on Wednesday.
Presenting his department’s executive statement before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on the Digital Transformation of Home Affairs for effective and efficient delivery of services to the public, Schreiber said his department has identified as its primary goal the need to digitally transform the department.
“Make no mistake about it, the successful implementation of this vision has the potential to revolutionise government as we know it in South Africa,” he said.
Schreiber said Home Affairs was the heartbeat of the South African State.
“We all know that Home Affairs is central to managing civic services and immigration. Of particular importance is the department’s mandate as the custodian of status for both citizens and non-citizens through the National Population Register (NPR).
“It is this status in the NPR database, secured through every person’s unique biometrics, that is expressed through enabling documents such as IDs, passports and various certificates.
“Social grants, tax collection, student funding, access to healthcare and education, qualification for housing subsidies, and countless other government services – all depend directly on the data contained in Home Affairs’ NPR,” the Minister said.
Schreiber said it was not only government services that depend on Home Affairs services.
“Private institutions, including banks, credit bureaus, insurance companies and other financial services, similarly rely on Home Affairs to deliver critical services to the people of South Africa.”
Schreiber said as a consequence, when the digital infrastructure of Home Affairs is allowed to decay, all forms of public and private sector services similarly decay.
He said when digital infrastructure is not secure, South Africa is not secure.
“Digital transformation that eradicates the use of paper, that records the biometrics of every person who wishes to enter this country, and that eliminates human discretion, holds the key to securing our borders and enforcing accountability for those who violate our immigration laws.
“Digital transformation that automates and biometrically secures access to IDs and passports holds the key to eliminating identity theft and erasing the value of fraudulent documents.
“Digital transformation that empowers every citizen, as well as legal residents and tourists, with secure digital products that cannot be faked or stolen holds the key to modernising every government service in South Africa,” Schreiber said.
The Minister outlined the vision for the future, where critical government services like IDs, passports, drivers’ licences, land titles, South African Social Security Agency grants, as well as South African Revenue Service and National Student Financial Aid Scheme services, can all be securely accessed through a single government portal.
Schreiber said Home Affairs could save South Africa billions of rands by making it impossible for fraudsters to steal social grants from the most vulnerable citizens by using fraudulent IDs.
