A new record for Smart IDs has been set and the record-holder is none other, than the Department of Home Affairs. The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber says the new record is that nearly a million South Africans obtained their Smart IDS over a certain 3 month-period. He says the record is also due to an increase in trust from the public.

He added, “This marks the first time that Home Affairs has come close to delivering one million Smart IDs in a single quarter, and I want to congratulate our teams working in front offices, banks, malls and at Government Printing Works for handling this significantly increased demand.”

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A new record for Smart IDs has been set

The period in question is the third quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year between 1 October and 31 December 2024. Dr Leon Schreiber says this growth in demand for Smart IDs is part of a major and sustained increase in the uptake of Smart IDs over the past two quarters.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said: “The recent sustained growth in the uptake of Smart IDs demonstrates growing public confidence in our reform agenda, expressed through our five-year vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home.

 

He says, over the past 6 months, the Department’s performance has substantially exceeded the quarterly targets in the 2024/2025 Annual Performance Plan (APP).

An Overperformance of 69%

The Minister says between 1 October and 31 December 2024, 970 543 Smart IDs were issued, compared to a quarterly target of 575 000. This represents an overperformance of 69%. Similarly, between 1 July and 30 September 2024, 895 125 Smart IDs were issued against a target of 625 000, representing an overperformance of 43%.

Home Affairs sets new record for Smart IDs issued as public Trust in Reform grows

Dr Leon Schreiber added that his Department’s annual target for the 2024/2025 financial year is to issue 2.5 million Smart IDs, which is in line with the total number of IDs issued during each of the past three financial years.

Minister Schreiber added: “As a result of this growing public confidence in the trajectory of Home Affairs, more South Africans than ever before are obtaining the critical enabling documents they require to open bank accounts, apply for jobs and qualify for government services. This progress drives economic and social inclusion and demonstrates our commitment to delivering dignity for all.

However, at the current trajectory, Home Affairs is likely to exceed this annual target by over one million, as the Department is now on track to issue a record-breaking 3.6 million Smart IDs during 2024/2025. This is, by some margin, the strongest performance since Smart IDs were first introduced a decade ago.