Home Affairs has assured that SA`s R1.8 billion smart-ID card project is finally under way in earnest, with the government handling much of the project in-house.
Malusi Gigaba, deputy minister of Home Affairs, said during the department`s budget debate in Parliament this week that the first smart-ID cards would be issued next year.
Gigaba said technology has become the main driver of development and progress, and the department sought to use it to enhance its services. It aims to migrate "further and farther away from manual and paper-based service delivery towards a more productive and efficient electronic system".
"We are happy to report that Hanis [Home Affairs National Identification System] is now proceeding in full steam, that AFIS [Automated Fingerprint Information System] and systems integration are currently being implemented, with a view to start issuing the first smart-ID card in 2006.
"During this financial year, we shall focus on the procurement process of the card and develop a detailed implementation plan. We have budgeted R1.8 billion over a five-year period for this project. The smart-ID card will, while not at a stroke, address both our security concerns and enhance the vision of integrated governance and e-government."
Gigaba said the project is expected to put SA in a position to act as a gateway and catalyst for smart-ID card solutions in southern Africa and Africa as a whole.
"We have thus decided that the greatest amount of work with regard to the smart-ID card shall be done at the Government Printing Works, while we shall develop the capacity within the department to do personalisation," he said.
The deputy minister noted that all obstacles faced in the past, especially what he described as "a lack of adequate capacity and leadership, the low attitude and morale of our information technology staff", are being addressed.
IT progress report
Gigaba said the "electronification" of citizens` fingerprints and documents is well under way and will be completed by September 2006.
In addition, the department is now ready to begin issuing the refugee smart-ID card to over 30 000 refugees, an inter-operable e-passport project is in progress, and IT infrastructure has been upgraded to introduce live capture at the refugee reception offices. The department expects to have integrated and consolidated immigration systems by 2007.
Gigaba said an electronic tracking and tracing system for all ID and passport applications would soon be ready.
The infrastructure to make it possible for hospitals to electronically register live births has been rolled out to 68 hospitals across the country, with more roll-outs this year. Regional IT managers have been employed and deployed to regions and 276 out of 350 of the department`s offices and service points have been computerised.
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