The Democratic Party (DP) is keeping the issue of a proposed national smart card system alive, having released another statement condemning the proposal. Seeming consoled to the fact that the process of replacing identity books with smart cards will go ahead, the party is demanding concessions from the Department of Home Affairs on behalf of citizens.
"[Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi] must take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that South Africans are subjected to minimal inconvenience and cost when they set out to get their green bar-coded IDs this year and the new 'smart cards` in 2001," spokesman Mike Waters said in a statement.
The Department of Home Affairs plans to issue the first smart cards to senior citizens in the last quarter of 2001, although the procurement process is still being finalised. MarPless Telecommunications has been confirmed as the primary contractor.
In its statement, the DP decries the price tag of the new system, suggesting that the government should rather invest the money in the Department of Home Affairs to optimise its day-to-day activity.
The party is demanding that departmental offices stay open longer hours and that application fees for new ID books be waived because of the imminent issue of smart cards.
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